A Heart Torn Three Ways
by Soul-Seeker-1406
Summary: Pokeshipping, advanceshipping and pearlshipping included in one fic.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The sun shone brightly on the small, tropical island. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, a perfect day to be outside in the sun. The wind blew gently through the many palm trees, which grew in abundance all throughout the island.

Ash Ketchum, now a well-seasoned Pokemon trainer, recognized around the world as the champion of the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh leagues, sat on the pristine, white beach and watched all of his Pokemon frolic in the sand or along the water's surface.

Long gone were his days of traveling the world with his companions. In fact, it had been four years since he had won the Sinnoh league, the last region that he had conquered, and decided that he would settle down in the Orange Islands. He had been the youngest person ever to become the champion of the four major regions, accomplishing this feat at a mere 16 years of age.

However, as soon as Ash had beaten the Sinnoh league, he was forced into the media's spotlight. Ash had been given interview after interview until he felt that he had given away every last piece of information that he knew. Then, he was sent on a long tour around the four regions by his many "managers" who advised him to spend at least a week in each city. The young champion reluctantly agreed to such a long stint of traveling, since he knew that he would no longer be traveling after finishing his tour, he needed to get a last look at all of the different regions before settling down.

After two long years of traveling all over the four regions, Ash decided to hold a press conference with the media, declaring that he would no longer be traveling and would settle down, much to the dismay of his many fans. He also didn't tell the public where he was going, since he hated the thought of a crowd of adoring fans swarming onto his tiny island.

During the last two years on the island, Ash had been relaxing with his Pokemon, finally enjoying his long awaited retirement from the public's eye. Only a handful of people had been told where he was, mostly his closest friends and relatives. During the first year or so after his retirement, his friends came to see him regularly, but recently, the visits to his island had become more sporadic and random, instilling a sense of solitude in the champion.

Ash was reminiscing over his past accomplishments, when he realized that the sun was slowly setting over the vast sea, turning it into a spectacle of red, purple, and orange lights. Though it was a beautiful sight, he had seen it before, in fact, he had seen it every night for the past two years. Ash quietly sighed to himself, the novelty of being alone on a beautiful island with no one but his faithful Pokemon had long ago worn away. He yearned for human companions again. During his many years traveling, before and after becoming a superstar, he had never been alone, and being unaccompanied for such a long period of time had made him extremely lonesome.

Ash decided that it was time to visit some of his old friends again. He was tired of constantly waiting for his friends to come.But who?Ash thought to himself.

The champion then determined that he would go and visit his three favorite people in the world, Misty, May, and Dawn. Ash thought about seeing Brock and Tracey, but resolved that he had a stronger urge to see the three girls again, though he couldn't quite figure out why this was the case…

The next day, bright and early in the morning, Ash prepared to set off to Cerulean City. After thinking about it all night, the trainer decided to bring Pikachu, Pidgeot (whom he had brought back from the Viridian forest), Charizard (who had finished his training with Liza a while ago), Sceptile, and Feraligatr (who had evolved from Totodile). He knew that someone would probably recognize him and challenge him to a battle. Ash smirked to himself. For once in his life, he was thinking ahead, if only a little.

He slipped on his favorite pair of jeans, his old black shoes, a black undershirt, and a blue hooded sweater, similar to the one his mother bought for him before he went to Hoenn. After choosing to wear his old red and white Pokemon league hat, with the green "L" shaped insignia emblazoned across the front of it, Ash collected a few supplies, gathered his pokeballs, mounted onto Pidgeot, tucked Pikachu safely inside his sweater, and set course for Cerulean City.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading the first chapter (or prologue i should say) of my fic, I'll try to update daily. That probably won't be a problem though, since i've already written a few more chapters for this fic. Thanks again!


	2. Chapter 1

In the Cerulean City gym, the red-headed gym leader, Misty, was going about her daily chores. She sighed quite loudly, and then muttered to herself, "Sometimes I wonder why I ever took this job." She looked up and saw her three sisters slumped onto the couch in the living room after a long night of partying in the various clubs around town. "But then again, if I don't take care of the gym, then who will?"

The Cerulean gym, a large tent-like structure with an enormous Dewgong in the front, was not only home to the Cascade badge, but also to the four sisters who were the joint gym leaders, though one did considerably more work than the others.

Misty checked the clock in the living room. It read, "9:17 a.m." She knew that her sisters had a photo shoot with a famous photographer at 10, and that if she didn't wake them up now that they would never get there on time.

Misty then yelled out to the couch, "C'mon you three, get up! You have to get ready to leave!"

Lily, Daisy, and Violet all grumbled amongst themselves and asked Misty in unison, "What time is it?!"

The red-head then shouted back, "9:17!"

"Oh my gosh, we gotta hurry or we're, like, gonna be late!" exclaimed Daisy.

The three older sisters then rushed to the restroom where they quickly applied their make-up, fixed their hair, and brushed their teeth, all within 15 minutes.

"Wow, they're fast," Misty whispered to herself.

"Ok, Misty, take care of the gym while we're gone!" shouted Violet.

"Like I would do anything else…" the youngest sister muttered.

"What was that?" inquired Violet.

"Oh, nothing. Have fun at the photo shoot," said Misty.

"Ok, later!" the three older sisters said in unison, then walked out the door.

"Ugh," Misty sighed to herself, "Why did I ever take this job?"

Suddenly she heard the sound of a large bird, flapping its wings just outside the gym. Misty cautiously went over to the entrance of the gym, where she had just heard someone knocking at the door.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to leave your island cause of all the publicity."

The young man stepped into the gym and flashed a grin at the redhead. "Is that anyway to treat you're best friend?" Ash teasingly asked.

"Oh, um, I-I was just surprised to see you." Misty quietly said, forgetting the questions that she had just asked.

"To answer you're question," said Ash, "I thought I'd drop by for a visit. You haven't been to the island in at least a year!"

"Sorry, I've been busy at the gym recently," the redhead said, "let's go to the living room and we can catch up."

"Sounds good," said the champion, "c'mon Pikachu, wake up." The electric rodent slowly stuck its head out of Ash's sweater and jumped out onto the ground. Pikachu then staggered down the hall to the living room where it proceeded to slump onto the couch and fall asleep again.

As they walked down the hall leading to the living room, Ash silently took note of how much Misty had matured, both mentally… and physically. She had grown about an inch taller, her hair was still in her trademark side ponytail but seemed a little more wild than when he had last seen her one year ago, the curves of her body seemed… well more defined and prominent.Well, she's certainly not the little girl who I used to travel with 8 years ago…Ash embarrassedly thought to himself, glad that she couldn't see him blushing,

Misty had also taken a mental note of Ash's development. His body had become thinner and more muscular than she last remembered, and he had become an attractive shade, not too dark, but not as pale as he had once been, all from his long hours in the Orange Island sun. However, some things had stayed the same, his wild, black hair was as unruly as ever and his deep, brown eyes were still as enchanting as she remembered. Misty couldn't believe that this was the wimpy little kid who had "borrowed" her bike all those years ago.

As they sat down on the couch beside Pikachu, Misty turned on the television set placed a few feet away. A female newscaster appeared on the screen.

"Reports of the legendary Ash Ketchum riding on his famous Pidgeot over the skies of Kanto have been received from many people, but it is yet to be confirmed whether or not the famous champion of the four regions has come out of hiding."

"Looks like some people spotted you on the way here," stated the gym leader.

"Darn, I was trying to be secretive, and not draw to much attention," said Ash.

"Well, if I saw a Pidgeot like that in the sky, I would assume it was you."

"Huh?"

"You're Pidgeot's one of a kind" Misty said, scratching Pikachu's head, "it looks much more powerful than any other Pidgeot, wild or trained."

"Heh, you can thank my excellent training." said the young champion, his ego swelling.

"I guess so…" Misty trailed off, obviously worried about something else.

"Anything the matter?" said the trainer.

"Oh, it's nothing, just that…" she began to blush, "it's just that… I-I missed you while you were gone, that's all."

Now it was Ash's turn to blush, "Oh."

"D-did you miss me?" Misty quietly asked.

"Yeah, I really missed you," Ash said, surprised that he didn't stutter or mess up his wording.

"Oh Ash," Misty said, her face turning a deeper shade of red, "I-I-I love you!"

Ash opened his eyes wide, surprised by her confession. Ash suddenly knew why he was always happy when she came to visit the island. He had feelings for her too.But,Ash wondered to himself,is she the only one that I have feelings for?...

But before he could say anything in reply to her. Misty had wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. It's not like Ash hadn't kissed a girl before, in fact, on his many journeys after becoming a champion, he had many mini-relationships that just turned out to be a superficial crushes, but this kiss with his long-time friend felt like pure bliss.

But in the back of his mind, he knew that there were others that he wanted to share his feelings for…

They kissed for what seemed like hours, not wanting to end the special moment. However it was Ash who broke their embrace in the end.

"Woah, where'd that come from?" Ash asked, though he probably already knew the answer.

"I've wanted to do that for such a long time, Ash, you don't even know," Misty said, smiling. "I didn't know when I would get another chance like this…"

Before they could say anymore to each other, they heard the sound of the front door opening, and the voices of Misty's three sisters.

Misty quickly took her arms from around Ash's neck and went to go greet her sisters.

"Why are you guys back so early?" Misty inquired, with a slightly impatient tone, "it's only 10:15!"

"We were too late and the stupid photographer, like, just left without taking our pictures," said Daisy, "but why do you care so much?"

Then all three of them spotted the boy sitting in the living room with a confused expression on his face, instantly recognizing him.

"Ash!" they all exclaimed in glee, "it's really Ash!"

The three older sisters all crowded around the champion wanting to get autographs and photos with him.

Then Violet looked up at Misty with a sly expression, "Looks like little sister Misty's got herself a famous boyfriend."

"H-he's not my boyfriend," said Misty, not willing to reveal her association with Ash to her sisters yet. Misty shot a look at Ash that saidI can't tell them now. Ash nodded slightly, acknowledging the message.

"Then why is he wearing your shade of lipstick?" Lily added, with a mischievous smile.

Dammit, Misty said in her head, then out loud, "Y-you're crazy."

"I-I think I'd better go," Ash said, wanting to get out of this awkward situation.

"Ok, let me take you outside," Misty said, also wanting to get out of this tight spot.

They both walked out of the gym, where Ash released Pidgeot and called to Pikachu, who had slept through the whole fiasco.

"Misty, I'll, uh, see you later," Ash promised, looking right into Misty's emerald eyes.

"Where are you going?" she asked, slightly hurt that he would leave her so soon.

"I've… got to sort some stuff out."

"I understand," said Misty, "I'll see you later, and don't forget to call."

"I won't; see you later," and with that, the young champion flew off on Pidgeot toward Petalburg City.

"I wonder where he's going…"


	3. Chapter 2

As Ash rode on Pidgeot toward Petalburg City, his mind was racing at a mile a minute, trying to make sense of all his tumultuous emotions.

If I have feelings for Misty,the trainer thought,then… what about May and Dawn? Whenever any of them would visit me on the island, I felt equally happy to see them. I'm so confused. I don't even know if I should see May right now, what would Misty think if she found out?...but I just have to see May again…

As Ash flew through the skies of Hoenn, the trainer hoped that Pidgeot knew where Petalburg City was, since the Flying type had never been there himself. But his fears were soon dispelled when the large bird landed in front of the Pokemon center in Petalburg City. However, this was not a good place to land…

As soon as he had landed, many trainers stared at him with strange expressions. They had never seen a Pidgeot in Hoenn and wondered who the mysterious trainer could be. Though some thought that the black-haired boy looked familiar, they didn't know whether to believe their eyes or not.

Suddenly, someone in the distance cried out, "It's Ash Ketchum!!"

Uh oh, Ash thought.

The moment that the crowd of trainers realized that it wastheAsh Ketchum, they rushed toward the champion, hoping for advice, a picture, an autograph, or even a phone number in some cases.

I've got to get out of here…Ash thought, knowing that he couldn't stay long, or he would be smothered by the adoring crowd. Ash quickly released Charizard, since Pidgeot was tired from flying all the way to Hoenn, hopped onto his back, and left the crowd of fans far behind him.

In the Petalburg gym, a young man, about 16 years of age, was sitting in front of the television after a long day facing challengers. He was dressed in a green, hooded sweater and a pair of old looking jeans. On his face sat a pair of black glasses, which made him look slightly more sophisticated than he really was.

In a sudden news flash, an anchorman announced that the famous Ash Ketchum was confirmed to be in Petalburg City and that he was mounted on his powerful Charizard.

Ash is in Petalburg?Max, who was now the Petalburg gym leader, pondered,why would he be in Petalburg City?But, in the back of his mind, the gym leader knew that there was only one reason.

Suddenly the young gym leader heard a fervent knocking at the door. Max leisurely stood up from the couch and slowly walked toward the door.

The knocking commenced again, prompting Max to yell out, "Yah, yah, I'm coming," though he knew that the guest couldn't hear his rude remark.

When he finally reached the door, he knocking had become more of a pounding, and he even heard some scratching from the bottom of the door. Max opened the door and, surprise, surprise, found Ash and Pikachu rushing into the gym.

"I thought that you'd never open up," panted the young man.

"What're you doing here?" Max asked with a genuinely inquisitive expression.

"I just had to get away from that mob; they were about to smother me!" explained the older boy.

"Anyway, it's nice to see you Ash," the young gym leader said, "it seems like forever since I last saw you."

"Yah, it's been about nine months," Ash knew exactly when he had last seen the younger boy because that was also the last time that he had seen May.

"Just one more question though," Max said, "why'd you choose to come to Petalburg, of all places, and, of all the places in Petalburg, to the gym?"

"Well for starters, this was the only place in Petalburg that I knew, and secondly… uh, I uh, kinda wanted to visit May," Ash said uncomfortably.

"Oh, um, sorry to tell you Ash, but May doesn't live here anymore. She's been living in Goldenrod City for at least six months now. I guess that she didn't tell you," said May's younger brother.

"Hmm" Ash mused, "do you have any idea why she would want to move there?"

"I think she mentioned something about wanting to see what it was like in the big city, I dunno," the young gym leader said.

"Ok, well then, I'm off to Johto," Ash announced.

"Hold your horses!" Max exclaimed, "you just got here, let's do something fun! How about we have a Pokemon battle? I haven't gotten a chance to battle the all-time champ of the four regions yet."

"Ok then, I accept your challenge," Ash smirked.


	4. Chapter 3

The two young men walked down to the battle arena of the Petalburg Gym. The champion of the four regions stood on the challenger's side of the battlefield, where he had beaten Norman, Max's father and the previous gym leader, about 7 years ago. The current gym leader took his customary position on the battlefield opposite from Ash.

"I assume that by now, we can judge our own matches, so I won't call in a referee," Max shouted to the opposite end of the field.

"Ok!" Ash replied.

"Let's make this a one on one battle."

"Fine by me!"

"Ready?"

"Yup!"

"Ok, go Slaking!" Max shouted.

A large gorilla with brown fur, a white stomach, and a pig-like face appeared before the gym leader. Slaking released a large whoop, indicating that it was ready for battle.

"I see that you've brought out the big guns," cried out Ash, "but I'm not gonna hold back, I choose you Feraligatr!"

A large, blue, alligator-like Pokemon appeared before Ash. It had a blue hide with red spikes along its back and head, a yellow jaw, and a set of razor-sharp teeth.

"Gator!" cried the large Pokemon.

"Ok, I guess I'll start things off," announced Max, "Slaking, Thunder punch!"

Slaking rushed toward Feraligatr, holding up its fist, where sparks were beginning to form.

Knowing that this move would be super-effective against his old friend, Ash cried out "Feraligatr, Dig!"

The large water-type swiftly dug into the gym floor, disappearing from view.

Slaking, now without a target, stopped dead in its tracks and looked at Max for further instructions.

"Slaking, don't stand around like that, it'll just make Feraligatr's job easier!" Max advised his Pokemon.

The normal-type then began to run around the battle field, with no destination in mind.

Ash smirked to himself,This strategy gets 'em every time. "Feraligatr, whirlpool!"

"What?!" Max shouted.

Underground, Feraligatr began to form a large whirlpool, which mixed with the soft ground of the battlefield and became a large, swirling mass of mud, which swept away the large primate-like Pokemon.

"Now Feraligatr, jump into the air!" Ash commanded.

The great, blue alligator jumped out of the swirling mass of mud, high into the air.

"Now, Ice Beam!" Ash ordered with a sly grin.

Uh oh,Max thought as he realized Ash's strategy.

The swirling mass of mud instantly froze as Feraligatr's powerful Ice Beam struck it, trapping Slaking's lower body in the ice, immobilizing it.

"Now Feraligatr, come in close and use Hyper Beam!" Ash said, feeling sorry for the hurt Slaking was about to receive.

Feraligatr landed a few feet away from Slaking's immobilized body, charging up its most powerful attack. In a flash of orange light, the powerful beam of energy crashed into

Slaking, knocking it out instantly.

"Looks like I won," Ash declared, "sorry about the damage to the gym though,"

The entire battlefield had become a rink of muddy ice, slightly indented in the center. Ash had no idea how Max could fix the battlefield by the time more challengers would appear in the morning.

"Amazing," Max said as the two trainers recalled their respective Pokemon, "That was a brilliant strategy, I didn't even have a chance to launch two attacks. No wonder you beat the leagues of the four regions. I've got a long way to go before I could even make you break a sweat."

"That's ok, Max," Ash said, trying to rebuild the young gym leader's confidence, "that's been a strategy that even other champions haven't been able to counter, at least with non-flying Pokemon."

"Thanks Ash… I guess," Max said, "so, do you know where you are gonna stay on your search for my sister?"

"I was kinda planning on just traveling around. You know, like how it was in the old days, with no pre-determined plan," the champion said.

"Then why don't you stay here tonight?" Max asked, "it's starting to get too late out to travel, I'm sure mom and dad would be delighted to see you again."

"That sounds fantastic!" Ash exclaimed, "I can't remember the last time that I got to eat your mom's cooking."

Later that night…

Ash and Pikachu slumped down into May's old bed, ready for a long night of sleep. After a delicious dinner that Max's mom, Caroline, had prepared, Norman, Max's father, and the young gym leader had constantly asked Ash for strategies that he had developed for his various Pokemon. Ash had been glad to reveal some of his many strategies but only because he knew that his major opponents had already figured out successful counters for the strategies he shared, making them obsolete, but his friends could still use them against ordinary trainers. At about eleven o' clock, Caroline mentioned how late it was getting and suggested that they all go to sleep, and since May's old room was the only one available to sleep in, Ash had been assigned to sleep there.

As Pikachu curled up on a pillow, Ash looked around the room. May's family had kept May's room exactly how it was before she left, wanting her to feel welcome if she ever decided to come back. Her walls were covered in posters of famous contests and interesting pictures that she had collected in her journeys. One of these pictures was of a young couple, one a brunette girl, and the other a raven-haired boy. They were holding hands and watching a beautiful sunset on a tropical island.

Ash thought, for only a second, that maybe May had hung that picture to remind her of Ash, but he quickly dismissed it as his over-active imagination.

May, I hope that you're alright,Ash thought,I'm so confused, and I need your help…


	5. Chapter 4

As Ash released Pidgeot to leave early the next morning, Max called out to him, "I hope you find May… and anything else you're looking for."

"Thanks Max," said the champion, who had conveniently not heard the last part of Max's statement. "Catch ya later!"

And with that, Ash and Pikachu jumped onto Pidgeot's back and flew away, but not toward Johto, but to a small town in the Sinnoh region.

Ash had decided that he wanted to see Dawn before he went to Goldenrod City, since he didn't know how long he would be searching for May in that large of a city.

The champion looked forward to seeing the spunky, happy-go-lucky girl that he had traveled with all over Sinnoh. She always was able to make him laugh, no matter what…

Suddenly, Ash's expression turned grim.Oh no,he thought,I thought I already had feelings for Misty, but now…Dawn, and even May. Aren't you supposed to only have one crush at a time?

Pikachu looked up at his trainer with a concerned look. The small rodent knew what was bothering Ash, since Pikachu felt almost the exactly same way. "Pika pika pi Pikachu?"

"I'm fine Pikachu," Ash said, trying to comfort his partner, but he knew that Pikachu understood how he felt. He also knew that Pikachu was probably the only one that Ash could turn to for advice on this matter.

"Pikachu, you know what I'm feeling right now. I'm so confused, I just don't know who to pick."

"Pi pika ka Pikachu!" said the boy's first Pokemon.

"Follow my heart, eh?" said Pikachu's trainer, "you sound like an after-school special Pikachu, but… I guess you're right. I just need to figure out which way my heart is pointing."

As Ash flew over Twinleaf Town, he could make out a familiar figure playing in the local park with a few Pokemon.

"Hehe, hey Pikachu, let's have some fun," said Ash, feeling suddenly more playful at the thought of seeing the young coordinator.

"Pikachu pika?" asked the yellow rodent.

"Hmm, I guess we could, uh…" Ash continues to whisper to the rodent, who laughs hysterically when he realizes Ash's plan.

"Ok, let's put our plan into action!"

In the park below, a blue-haired girl was playing with her many Pokemon while practicing for the Sinnoh Grand Festival which was coming up in only two months. She wore a pink miniskirt, a black, sleeveless sweater, a pink scarf with jagged edges, and a white beanie with a pink pokeball logo. In the four years since Ash's victory in the Sinnoh league, Dawn had matured into a very beautiful lady. Her eyes still sparkled with the same radiance that Ash knew and her hair still flowed with the same elegance, but many of her physical features had become more… developed, Ash noted with a blush.

"Great Piplup, just like that!" Dawn called out to her penguin Pokemon.

"Piplup!" the small penguin said, its chest swelling in pride.

Ash, who was hiding in a bush nearby, said quietly into a walkie-talkie radio that he had bought at a local convenience store, "Ok Feraligatr, Rain Dance."

The alligator Pokemon, located in a tree across the park, glowed a faint blue, and soon the sky became dark and rain had started to fall.

"Good job, now Pidgeot, Whirlwind."

The huge bird, who was flying a hundred feet above the park, flapped its mighty wings and created strong winds that made the storm seem more ferocious.

"Great work," Ash said, then turning to the rodent next to him, "now, Thunder!"

Pikachu, concentrating for a moment, focused its energy and called down many lightning strikes, one after another.

Ash smiled to himself. It was fun playing weather man, especially when you got to scare one of your best friends in the process.

Dawn looked around, slightly confused, the weather man had said that it would be sunny all day.

Ugh, he never gets it right,the coordinator thought. She returned all of her Pokemon to their pokeballs since she didn't want their beautiful coats to get ruined.

As the sky became darker, Dawn became more scared. The wind howled in her face and lightning flashed in the sky.

This is such a scary storm…I wish Ash was here to protect me,Dawn said in her head.

As she walked back to the entrance of the park, a strange feeling overtook the young coordinator. She was being watched; she knew it.

Every once in a while, Dawn thought that she heard a voice calling out to her, or a shadowy figure moving in her peripheral vision.

"M-m-must be the wind… or the lightning," Dawn reassured herself, "stupid w-w-weatherman."

"Hehehe"

I know I heard something that time!"Who's there?!" Dawn asked the darkness, but only heard the howling of the wind through the trees.

I'm outta here!The coordinator was soon running for the entrance.

"Pikachu, Scary Face," Ash quietly said to his partner, though he could barely control his laughter.

There, the exit!Dawn was now barreling toward the exit of the park, hoping that whatever was chasing her would stop.

As she neared the exit, suddenly, out of a nearby bush, a yellow monster jumped out in front of her. It had yellow horns with black tips, beady black eyes, blood-red cheeks, and a Dracula-like expression.

"AHHH!!" Dawn screamed as her world blacked out around her.

"Whoops," Ash said, "I guess we took it a bit too far."

Dawn awoke to find herself lying in bed at her apartment in Jubilife City, having moved out of her mother's house in Twinleaf Town long ago. She looked around to find a Pikachu, which looked eerily like the monster that had attacked her, sleeping at the foot of her bed.

Wait,Dawn thought,could it behisPikachu?

As she got out of bed, being careful not to wake the sleeping Pikachu, Dawn went into her living room, trying to see if anyone else was in the house. And sure enough, sleeping on the couch, was a very special trainer.

"A-Ash?" Dawn quietly said, not sure if she wanted to wake up the boy who slept on her couch.

An incomprehensible jumble of sounds came from the young man on the couch. Clearly he didn't want to get up.

"Hah, same old Ash," Dawn softly said to herself, "I guess I'll ask him why the heck he's in my apartment later."

Dawn couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked, even sprawled out on her couch. She just hoped that he still wasn't as dense as he was during their travels across Sinnoh. And as a wave of previous emotions for the sleeping trainer swept over the coordinator, she felt a ray of hope shine in her heart…

"Mmm… bacon," Ash said in his sleep as the smell of cooking meat wafted toward his nose.

"Rise and shine," Dawn said when she heard the boy's response to her cooking.

Hehe, I knew I could get his stomach to wake him up.Dawn giggled to herself.You know, it's kinda like we're living together, if only for today.Dawn said in her mind with a dreamy expression on her face.

Ash slowly sat up trying to recall why he was in such an unfamiliar place.

Uh oh, I'm gonna have some explaining to do,Ash thought, as he realized why he was in the coordinator's apartment.

Dawn glared at the boy with mock suspicion as she set down a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him.

"Ok Ash Ketchum, explain to me right now why you are in my house, instead of on a remote island, and why I can't remember how I got here last night!" demanded the blue-haired girl.

"Um… I, uh…uh," Ash jumbled over his words. But after composing himself, he tried again, "Dawn, I'm so sorry, cause, you see, that lightning storm last night was all my fault, and when I had Pikachu use scary face on you… you, um.. fainted."

"Why in the world would you do something like that? I was scared out of my wits!" said Dawn, scolding the boy on her couch.

"I, um, I just wanted to have a little fun…You know play a little prank, just like the old days," explained the boy from Pallet.

"Well, that wasn't very funny!" said the coordinator, "But I still want to know how you got into my house, as a matter of fact, how did you even know where I lived? You've never been here before!"

"Hah, ok, the funny thing is that your keys to the apartment fell out of your purse when you fainted, and they just happened to have a key tag with your address on it," the boy clarified with a grin.

"Ok then, but why are you even in Sinnoh? I thought you lived in the Orange Islands now," Dawn asked, as she sat next to him on the couch, enchanted by his warm smile and captivating eyes.

"The truth is," Ash said, blushing slightly, "I wanted to see you again, I was getting extremely lonely on my island, so I decided to come visit you."

"You came all the way to Sinnoh just to see little ole me?" Dawn said, blushing, "how sweet, Ashy!"

Ash suddenly got a funny look on his face, "Why'd you call me 'Ashy?'"

"Oh, sorry," Dawn said, quickly hiding her face, which was a deep shade of red, "it's just… I thought that… that name sounded cute… that's all."

"I see."

"You know Ash, I was kinda getting lonely too and I was even about to come visit you again, but I guess you beat me to it," Dawn said with a small smile.

"I see," Ash replied, then mustering up his courage, he placed his hand on top of hers, causing both of them to blush profusely.

"Dawn…" Ash said quietly, "I-I think I've fallen for you."

"Ash…" was all Dawn could say in reply.

Her heart fluttered as his face came closer to hers, closing her eyes in anticipation. And as their lips pressed together, Dawn could feel her whole body tingling with pleasure. She was finally sharing a kiss with the boy that she loved so much, and she wanted nothing more than that moment to last forever.

This kiss…it feels different from the one with Misty,Ash thought to himself.It feels more…complete, I guess since I actually had to work for it.He remembered that when he kissed Misty that the water Pokemon trainer had sort of… rushed the build-up to the special moment, like she was tired of waiting and could hold it back no longer.

After they had broken the kiss, they stared into each other's eyes, each knowing that they had just started something special. But suddenly doubts rushed again into Ash's mind.

You've just cheated on Misty!Ash thought as he scolded himself.You claim to have feelings for Misty, yet you turn around after only two days and kiss Dawn! And let's not forget how we feel about May! What the hell are we gonna do now?!

Dawn could see the turmoil in Ash's mind as she looked into his auburn eyes.

"Ash… what's wrong?" Dawn asked the young man next to her.

Ash knew that he couldn't tell her what was really going on in his mind, so he came up with a lie, or maybe… an excuse.

"Well," said the young champion, "it's just that… I have to go soon."

"Why?" asked the coordinator, a hurt look in her eyes.

"I gotta find another friend of mine in Goldenrod City," Ash said.

"Another friend? Is it a boy or a girl?" Dawn asked, slightly mistrusting the enchanting, brown eyes that she looked into.

"It's a boy, I just promised to meet him today and didn't expect to stay so long at your place. No need to worry!" Ash said with a half-smile. The champion knew he had to lie to her about May, if Dawn realized that he was leaving her to see May after only 30 minutes of being in a relationship, he knew that it would break her heart into a million pieces.

Well, I'm not leaving her, per se, but I'm just going to go figure out if my feelings for May are returned, and if they're not then I just have to deal with Misty and Dawn.Ash reassured himself. But then the doubts returned,Ugh, I'm disgusting, how can I just toss aside Dawn and Misty like that... And just to see if some other girl that I like can join the club! I don't deserve any of them!

Ash quietly sighed, since he knew that he was right about himself.Still, I have to know, I just have to know!

"I'm sorry Dawn, I promise I'll see you soon," Ash promised, and in the back of his mind, he remembered making a similar promise to Misty. "See you…"

"I understand, Ash," said Dawn, though hurt that Ash would leave so soon, she knew that prior commitments were very important to Ash.

I just hope he's going to be ok,Dawn thought to herself as Ash walked out of the apartment.


	6. Chapter 5

"I think my love life is cursed, buddy," Ash said to his first partner as they flew over the skies of Sinnoh toward Goldenrod City, "I just don't know who to pick."

"Chu, pika pi chu pika?" asked the electric rodent.

"I don't think that my heart's compass is even working anymore!" Ash exclaimed, "how can I choose between Misty and Dawn?"

"Pi…pikapi," said the small electric-type.

"Yah, and we haven't even begun to discuss the 'May-factor,'" Ash sighed to himself, "at this rate, I'm gonna need a GPS system to figure where my heart is going."

Pikachu, obviously not amused by his trainer's cheesy joke, reassured his trainer, "Pikachu, pika…pi."

"'Only you know what you want,'" Ash reiterated, "now you sound like a philosopher, Pikachu. But, I guess you're right."

"Pika."

"Ok, Pikachu, I get it," the champion replied, suddenly feeling tired, "ugh, I'm bushed, probably cause I was watching over Dawn all night. Wake me up when we get to Johto."

Remembering what had happened the last time he landed in front of a Pokemon center, Pidgeot landed in a secluded field about a mile from the large city of Goldenrod, waiting for his master to awaken from his sleep.

Pikachu, his patience suddenly running out, stuck his tail on his master and sent him a nice wake-up call.

"AHHH!!" Ash exclaimed, fully awake by now, "Ok Pikachu, I'm up, you can stop now!"

"Pika, pika chuu!" the small rodent shouted.

"Ok, ok, I just overslept a little. No need to yell," Ash replied, trying to calm down the electric-type. "C'mon, let's go into town."

As Ash walked into Goldenrod City, the sheer number of people living in the city took his breath away. Never had the boy from Pallet seen so many people. There seemed to be more people than the last time he set foot in this vast city.

How am I gonna find May in such a large city?Ash pondered,I could search for weeks and not see the same person twice!

As he walked through the city, Ash began to wonder why no one was rushing to get his autograph or pushing to get a good photo with him. Then Ash noticed someone in the crowd who was dressed almost exactly like he was after he had won the Sinnoh league, complete with the same hat, hairstyle, sweater, jeans, and shoes that Ash was wearing two years ago. The imposter even had a Pikachu resting on his shoulder.

I guess that's why no one recognizes me. They probably don't even think that I'm…me. They're probably lots more imposters in the city,Ash thought to himself. Though extremely freaked out, Ash knew that fans liked to imitate their idols.I should've expected something like this…But, I have to admit, he did a pretty good job at looking like me.

After looking around the city for about two hours, Ash's stomach began to growl.Need…food…

Spying a local restaurant, called "The Goldenrod Diner," Ash rushed inside to alleviate his raging stomach. As he walked into the diner, the champion could smell the aroma of delicious food, which made his mouth water. After being seated by a cheery waitress, Ash pondered over the menu.

Hamburgers…said part of Ash's mind.

No, chicken fried steak!Exclaimed another.

How about… both?Reasoned his problem-solving section.

Yes, Yes, agreed his brain and stomach.

After placing his order with his waitress Ash looked around the dining room. On the other side of the diner, he spied a teenage boy, about 15 years old, with blonde hair and a red shirt, staring at him.

Hmph,Ash said to himself,what the heck is he looking at?

As if on cue, the boy walked over to Ash's table and sat in the seat across from him.

"What do you want?" Ash asked the boy.

"You call yourself an Ash imposter?" inquired the teenager, "you look nothing like him."

Ash, deciding to play along, asked, "What do you mean?"

"First of all, you're wearing the wrong hat; Ash was wearing his red and black hat with the blue pokeball design on it before he went into hiding. Secondly, you're shirt is totally wrong; Ash wore his black shirt with a yellow stripe down the middle when he was last seen. And last, but not least, Ash always carried six Pokemon, not five. You obviously don't know the first thing about Ash!"

Ash suddenly broke into an incontrollable fit of laughter. He couldn't help but guffaw at how wrong the boy was about him.

"What's your name kid?" the champion asked the young boy, wiping a tear from his eye.

"My name's Orange, and I'm the best Ash expert in the whole city!" said Orange, smirking proudly, "not to mention the best battler."

"Huh, but you look nothing like Ash either!" Ash said.

"Ugh, I can't go around dressed like Ash every waking moment! Is that what you do?" Orange exclaimed, "I just do it on weekends. And I always get compliments on how much I look like Ash."

As Ash's food was brought out, he began to eat at a furious pace and finished his two full size entrees in only 10 minutes, as Orange looked on, impressed.

"Heh, you certainly eat a lot like Ash, but watch this!" Orange said, as his own plate of food was brought out. Eating at an even faster pace than Ash had, Orange finished his whole plate, which was equal to Ash's in size, in 7 minutes flat. "I still have a long way to go," Orange said, wiping his lips, "I've heard that Ash could finish a plate like this in 5 minutes!"

After both of the boys had paid for their meals, Ash walked outside the diner, with Orange close behind.

"Since I make it my personal duty to be the best Ash impersonator," Orange said, "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

"What?" Ash replied, astonished, "no, don't battle me, you'll get defeated in five minutes, trust me."

"I already have eight Johto league badges, and I'm gonna go to the Johto Silver Conference in two months," said Orange, who had pulled out his badge case to prove his point, "how many badges do you have?"

32.Ash wanted to say, but technically, since his badges had expired, he had, "None…"

"Hahaha, what a loser!" Orange replied, vaguely reminding Ash of how Gary had taunted the champion when he had started his journey, "let's just see who lasts five minutes!"

As Ash and Orange walked into the public Pokemon battlefield on the south side of town, Ash smirked and thought to himself,I'll wipe the floor with this dummy.

On the other side of the battlefield, Orange said to himself,I'll wipe the floor with this dummy, not knowing that he had just thought the same thing as Ash.

"Since we're both Ash impersonators," Orange cried out to the other side of the battlefield, "let's battle with our Pikachus."

"Fine by me," Ash shouted to Orange. "You ready, buddy?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika!" shouted the electric rodent, who bounded toward the center of the field.

"Go Pika!" shouted Orange as he threw an old Pokeball into the air, releasing a yellow rodent almost identical to Ash's Pikachu.

"Pikachuu!" shouted Orange's Pikachu, which was nicknamed Pika.

"Ready?" Ash cried out.

"Go!" Orange replied.

"Ok Pika, Thunderbolt!" Orange ordered his Pokemon.

The Pikachu on Orange's side of the field then charged up the electricity in its body and shot it out in a massive thunderbolt which raced toward Ash's Pikachu.

"Dodge it with Agility, then use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded.

Moments before the Thunderbolt came crashing into him, Pikachu disappeared from visibility, narrowly avoiding the powerful electric attack, and reappeared a little closer to Orange's Pikachu. Pikachu then dashed around and around Pika, disorientating it.

"Now Pikachu!" cried Ash.

Electricity cascaded around Pikachu's body as he was enveloped in a yellow aura of energy.

"Pikapikapikapikapika!" Pikachu shouted as he came in close to Pika.

"Quick, Pika, Substitute!" Orange cried out to his Pokemon.

Just before Ash's Pikachu collided with Pika, the younger boy's Pokemon glowed with a white aura and disappeared from view, reappearing close to Orange, and leaving a ghostly copy of itself in Pikachu's path. As Pikachu collided with the substitute, it vanished into thin air, having served its purpose of getting its user out of harm's way.

"Now Pika, Surf, before Pikachu can recover!" Orange ordered his Pokemon.

Again Pika glowed with a white aura, but instead of creating a copy of itself, he turned the white energy into a surfboard. As a huge wave of water, appearing from thin air, came crashing toward Pikachu, Ash looked on, unable to comprehend what was happening.How the heck can a Pikachu use Surf? It doesn't make sense!

At that instant, the huge wave, which Pika was riding, crashed into Pikachu, who was just as confused as Ash. And as Pikachu was recovering from the force of the attack, Ash called out to him, "Pikachu, use Thunder, while the ground's still wet!"

At the exact moment that Pika landed in the shallow water near Pikachu, Ash's Pokemon released a wickedly powerful dose of electricity into the water, which found its way toward the other Pikachu and seriously hurt even the other electric-type.

"Pikachu! Finish it off with Iron Tail!" Ash called out.

With his glowing white tail, Pikachu landed a heavy blow on the stunned Pika, who was knocked out immediately.

"Pika!" cried out Orange, who ran toward his fallen Pokemon, "Are you alright?"

"Pi….ka….chu," Pika reassured his partner, before falling unconscious again.

"It's ok, buddy, I'll get you to the Pokemon Center right away!" Orange said to his partner, pretending that his Pokemon could hear his voice.

"Sorry about that, I guess Pikachu got a little carried away," Ash said, as he walked up to the younger trainer.

"No, Pika will be fine, but it's been a while since he's been defeated, so his pride might be a little hurt," Orange said, looking at the Pokemon in his arms, "c'mon, let's go to the Pokemon center.

While they were walking to the Pokemon center, Orange looked up at Ash, "By the way, you've never told me your name."

"My name's Ash," said the champion, forgetting that Orange thought that he was an imposter.

"Ok, drop the act, really, what's your name?" Orange asked, somewhat irritated that the older trainer was stilling keeping up his ruse.

"No, I'm serious, I'm the real Ash," Ash replied, rather annoyed that the young trainer wouldn't believe him.

"Really, I bet your Pokedex says otherwise!" Orange exclaimed as he snatched Ash's Pokedex out of his pocket. But as he brought up Ash's trainer registration, his eyes grew wide, and he looked up at the older trainer. "Y-y-you weren't l-l-lying…"

"See I told you I'm the real-"

"ASH! I can't believe it's really you! It's really, trulytheAsh Ketchum! Wow!!" Orange interrupted, unable to control his excitement. Then, realizing how rude he had been to his hero back at the diner, Orange went down on his knees. "I'm so, so, so sorry Ash! I didn't mean to be so obnoxious at the diner. I'll do anything to make it up!"

"It's ok, you don't need to do anything for me. It's actually kinda nice being able to walk around a city without getting mobbed by a bunch of excited fans. I can thank people like you for that," Ash said with a smile.

"You're so nice!" Orange exclaimed, "But please, I feel so bad. Isn't there anything that I can do to make you forgive me?"

"Well," Ash said, pondering over what he could get the boy to do, "I guess that I kinda need a place to stay tonight…"

As Orange realized what Ash was asking of him, his eyes beamed with pleasure, "Sure thing! I'd have asked you to stay at my house, even if I didn't owe you anything!"

"Really now?" Ash replied with a grin, "I guess you still owe me one then."

"Oh, dang it, me and my big mouth," Orange pouted.

Ash just laughed and started running toward the Pokemon center, feeling suddenly more energetic.

"Wait up Ash!" Orange shouted after him, as he started to run behind the champion.


	7. Chapter 6

After healing Pika at the Pokemon center, where Orange could barely keep from shouting out Ash's true identity, Ash and Orange walked back to the younger trainer's house, which was located in a suburban neighborhood about a mile outside of town.

"So Ash, why are you in Goldenrod City?" asked the teenager.

"Um…well…I was trying to find someone that I hadn't seen in a while," Ash said uncomfortably, "a coordinator named May."

"A coordinator?!" Orange said, "why would you want anything to do with those sissy excuses for trainers! They make their Pokemon perform like circus freaks, and get famous doing it! While us trainers have to sweat and toil and battle our way to the top!" Orange exclaimed, clearly disgusted at the thought of coordinators.

"You don't have any idea do you?!" Ash shouted, angry at the ignorance of the boy, "contests are very hard! Coordinators have to struggle to keep their appeals attractive, impress the judges, and maintain their cool throughout the contest! If you lose at a gym, you can get as many tries at you want, but, if you lose at a contest, you have to wait until the next contest to redeem yourself! And, in Pokemon battles, it's you versus the other trainer, but in a contest, it's you against the hundreds of other people also competing in the same contest!"

"Whatever…" Orange replied, still not wanting to believe that contests were equal to battles, "I just don't get why you are defending contests, I mean what are they to you?"

"They're just as important to me as gym battles," Ash replied more calmly, not wishing to yell at the boy any longer.

"Why?"

"Well, cause they're important to May," Ash said, reflecting on the coordinator's past contests; her wins, her loses, and her training just to get to them.

"This May person must mean a lot to you," Orange said, vaguely understanding how Ash felt.

"Yeah, I guess you could say she means everything to me," Ash replied, looking at the sky.

"Well then, that settles it, I'm gonna help you find her!" Orange said, with fiery determination in his eyes.

"That's the spirit!"

"We'll start first thing tomorrow," Orange stated.

After walking for about a half an hour, Orange spotted a familiar building and started running toward it. "C'mon Ash, this is my house!"

"Ok!" Ash called back, but didn't increase his speed. He looked at the house, which had ivy growing all over the blue painted walls, giving it an old and distinguished look, a brown, shingled roof, and high arched windows, and thought that, if he ever had kids, that he would probably leave the island and move to a place like this.

As Ash approached the cozy house, Orange rushed out of the house and pushed Ash inside. "C'mon, I want you to meet my father. He's a big fan of yours!"

"Ok, ok, stop pushing!" Ash said, as the young trainer enthusiastically shoved him into his house.

Inside the house, an older man, about 30 years old with wild, black hair and a red jacket, was sitting in the living room, watching television, but when Ash was shoved into the house, he walked up to the champion and shook his hand.

"Hello Ash, I'm Orange's father, Red," the older man stated.

"Hi, I'm A- oh, wait, you already know my name. Hah," Ash said, but suddenly, he thought to himself,Wait a sec, Red… Red… where have I heard that name before?

But before he could ponder any longer, a blonde woman, about 28 years old with a yellow dress, walked into the living room and said to Orange, "I didn't know we were going to have company, Orange. You should've told me so I could prepare more food."

"Mom, do you know who this is?!" Orange shouted to his mother. "This is the Ash Ketchum, the champion of the four regions!"

"Oh,thatAsh," his mother said, but not seeming as impressed as Orange thought she should be. "Welcome to our home, Ash."

"Thank you miss…" Ash said, pausing at the end, waiting for Orange's mother to fill in the blank with her name.

"Yellow, my name is Yellow," Orange's mother replied.

"Nice to meet you, Yellow," Ash said.

"Let's eat!" Orange said as he rushed into the dining room of the house.

"Yah, let's!" Ash exclaimed as he joined Orange in the dining room, followed by Red and Yellow.

As they all began to eat Yellow's delicious cooking, Orange suddenly remembered that Pika was probably hungry after battling Ash's Pikachu earlier that day.

"Come on out and eat Pika," Orange said as he released his electric rodent.

"Pikachu," Pika said as he bounded toward the container of Pokemon food on the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Orange to come feed him.

"Hey Pikachu, I bet you're hungry too, how about you go eat with Pika?" Ash asked his Pokemon.

"Pika," Pikachu happily replied as he joined Pika near the container of Pokemon food.

As Orange walked toward the container of Pokemon food, he called out, "Chu Chu, where are you?"

After he had said this, another Pikachu came running down the stairs from where it was sleeping on the upper floor. But this Pikachu looked more feminine with a tuft of long hair coming down to its eyes.

"Chu," she said as she bounded toward Pika, who gave the female Pikachu a quick kiss on the forehead.

As Orange poured out the food for the three electric rodents, Ash's Pikachu glared at Pika who was happily eating with Chu Chu at his side. Pikachu was obviously very smitten with Chu Chu and was jealous of how much attention Pika was receiving. But since Pikachu knew that he couldn't start anything with his master nearby, he decided to address this problem later.

After dinner, as the three men sat around the living room, Red turned to Ash "So Ash," Red said to the young champion, "I hear that you're a good battler."

"I guess you could say so," Ash said, wanting to appear modest to his new friends.

"What?!" Orange suddenly interrupted, "Dad, this is the same Ash who won the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh leagues! All by the time he was 16!"

"Heh, that's a big feat to accomplish in such a short amount of time," Red said to Ash, "I used to be a pretty good battler myself."

Now I remember that name!Ash thought to himself as his eyes widened. "I know where I've heard your name now!" Ash exclaimed, "Y-y-you're the Red! I've heard rumors about a trainer who came from Pallet Town and beat the Indigo League when he was only 11 years old!"

"Hehe, I guess word gets around," Red mused, "but where did you hear these rumors?"

"It was a big story around Pallet Town about twenty years ago. My mom told me about that story when I was about to turn 8, but by then, it was old news. Still, that was the story that inspired me to become a Pokemon trainer!" Ash explained to the other champion, who only smirked slightly.

"Well, well, a small world, eh?" Red said to Ash, "You're from Pallet Town too?"

"Yup!" Ash said proudly, "and I became a Pokemon trainer when I was 10 just like you did. You're basically my first Pokemon idol."

"Wow, Dad, you've never told me that you were an Indigo League champ!" Orange excitedly said with a newfound respect for his father. "But why aren't you battling anymore?"

"Well, Orange, I decided to focus more on raising a family than battling soon after I had you," Red explained to his son, "I guess that once I had you, I had a priority shift in my life."

"Speaking of battling," Orange said, "today, I had a battle with Ash and his Pikachu with your Pika."

"Really?" Red asked, "how did it go?"

"Well of course I lost," Orange stated, matter-of-factly, "I could never beat Ash."

"Ok, son," Red said, then turning to Ash, "say Ash, how about tomorrow, you and I have a battle?"

"Heh, I'd love to battle a hometown hero," Ash replied to the older trainer. "How about three on three?"

"K, then, be ready to battle tomorrow." Red said back, with a smile on his face.

"You know what, it's getting late, you boys should be getting to bed," Yellow said as she walked into the room, "Ash, you can stay in the guest room upstairs. It's right next to Orange's room."

"Thanks, Yellow," Ash said to the woman as she walked back to her bedroom, "c'mon Orange, you heard your mom, let's go to bed."

As Ash laid in the unfamiliar room, sparsely furnished with only a twin-size bed, a bed-side table, an alarm clock, and a ceiling fan, his thoughts returned to his current love life.Ugh,he thought,I just hope that somehow May can fix this.Not wanting to dwell on this harsh topic, he turned over and promptly fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

As the two champions faced off against each other the next morning, a strange calm settled over the area, the birds stopped chirping, the insects quieted their calling, the dogs stopped their barking. It was as if nature itself was waiting to see this battle, this battle of the two champions.

As the challengers looked at each other's eyes, each knew that the other was ready for a major battle as the fires of determination had set their souls ablaze.

"Ready, Ash?" the older champion cried out.

"Ready." Ash replied.

"Let's get this battle started," Red said solemnly.

"Let's," Ash replied with an equal amount of solemnity.

"Go Poli!" Red yelled as he sent out a large, blue, humanoid Pokemon that had a white and black spiral in the center of its body.

"Poliwrath!" the Tadpole Pokemon cried as it prepared itself for Ash's choice.

"Go Sceptile!" Ash said, as he released a large, green gecko with yellow seeds on its back and a pine-tree shaped tail.

"Tile!" said the grass-type, ready for battle with Poliwrath.

"Ok Poli, mega punch!" Red commanded his water-type.

"Sceptile, counter with leaf blade!"

As the two powerful attacks collided, a huge explosion, that knocked the two Pokemon back about ten feet, could be heard throughout the city, disturbing the tranquil morning calm.

"Quick Sceptile, use Solarbeam!" Ash called out to his Pokemon, who started to charge up the powerful grass-type attack.

"Poli, while it's charging, hit it into the air with Sky Uppercut!" Red countered, knowing that the Solarbeam could knock out Poliwrath in a matter of seconds.

Since Sceptile was collecting sunlight and couldn't move, the Tadpole Pokemon was able to land a direct hit on the Forest Pokemon, who was knocked high into the air.

"Now Poli, mega kick him into the ground!" Red exclaimed.

As Sceptile was flying through the sky, Ash, furious that he had made such an elementary mistake, could only look on as his faithful Pokemon was slammed into the ground by the strong legs of Poliwrath.

Lying in a hole that his impact had created, Sceptile heard an order called out to him, "Sceptile, Agility into Leaf Blade!"

Disappearing instantly from his crater, Sceptile then began to flash in and out of view as it danced around the water-type. Using the speed from the Agility to increase the power of his physical attack, Sceptile's arm collided with the back of Poliwrath's head with blinding speed, causing it to land across the field, dazed, but not unconscious.

"Don't let up Sceptile!" Ash called to his Pokemon, "Agility into Leaf Blade again, then follow up with X-Scissor!"

As Sceptile resumed its dance around Poliwrath, Red called out to his partner, "Poli, use Earthquake!"

When Red's Pokemon heard his master's command, he focused his energy into his hands and punched into the ground, causing a massive shaking that made Sceptile hit the ground hard.

"Quick Poli, Ice Beam while Sceptile's lying on the ground!" Red ordered.

Poli, upon hearing the command, charged up a blue sphere of energy, which turned into an icy cold beam. When Sceptile was hit by the blue beam, he instantly froze, rendering him unable to battle.

As both the trainers returned their respective Pokemon to their pokeballs, they shot a look of respect to the other trainer, each impressed that the other had put up such a good fight.

By now a small crowd had started to gather, impressed by the enormous power of the previous battle. Some of the younger trainers cheered for Ash, knowing that he was the real Ash because of his massively powerful Pokemon, but the older trainers cheered for Red, knowing that his talent would rival that of Ash's.

"Ok, the first round goes to me" Red called out to Ash, "let's get the second round underway."

"Gotcha," Ash replied, "I'll go first, Go Charizard!"

"Go Saur!" Red shouted, throwing another pokeball in the air.

On Ash's side of the field, the fearsome fire-type Charizard, with its large orange body, razor-sharp claws, and fiery breath, had appeared. The Flame Pokemon was an opponent that had struck fear into the hearts of many a challenger. All of the Ash fans let out a loud whoop, recognizing the fiery hero from the Johto League battle many years ago.

On Red's side, the grand grass-type Venusaur, with a blue body, a huge, pink flower on its back, and a large, toothless mouth, materialized from the pokeball Red had thrown. The Red fans nodded their heads in satisfaction; this would be a good match.

"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!" Red commanded the Seed Pokemon.

"Saur!" Venusaur cried as a multitude of razor-sharp leaves flew out from behind its flower, right toward Charizard.

"Charizard, knock 'em down with Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Charizard then shot out a stream of white-hot flames from its mouth, which easily disintegrated the leaves into piles of pure carbon.

"Charizard, take flight!" Ash ordered his Pokemon, using Charizard's flying abilities to his advantage.

The Flame Pokemon then flapped its mighty wings and became airborne, flying much faster than Venasaur could follow.

"Sky Attack and Flare Blitz!" Ash called out to his partner.

The Fire-type roared as it positioned itself to use Sky Attack. Then the Flame Pokemon barreled toward Venasaur at breakneck speeds, intending to tackle it with massive force.

"Venusaur, Vine Whip him out of the sky!" Red shouted in desperation.

As the grass-type urgently tried to whip Charizard out of the sky with its vines, the fire-type became enveloped in red flames as he used his Flare Blitz and Sky Attack simultaneously.

Another massive explosion rocked the city as Charizard collided with Venusaur, sending the heavy Pokemon flying, after taking massive damage from the attack.

"Venusaur, synthesis!" Red called out, knowing that he had to regain some energy if he wanted to stand a change against Charizard.

Charizard, though tired from using the two powerful attacks in conjunction, waited for an order from his master.

"Just wait, Charizard," Ash told the Flame Pokemon, "just get ready for the next attack, you're too tired right now."

Charizard nodded, knowing that it was better to trust Ash's judgment than to blindly rush into battle.

"Ready Venusaur?" Red asked, "let's get some payback!"

"Ready Charizard?" Ash asked, "let's finish this battle!"

Both Pokemon then let out a roar, which exhilarated the growing crowd.

"Blast Burn!" Ash shouted, knowing that this could be the decisive move for the whole battle.

"Frenzy Plant!" Red called out to the Seed Pokemon, who was fully charged after using Synthesis.

The crowd then fell silent, understanding that both Pokemon were about to release their most powerful attacks on each other.

Charizard began to glow red, redder than the hottest volcano, as he gathered up the most intense fires from the depths of his body, readying his ultimate attack.

Venusaur also glowed, but a deep shade of green, as he called upon nature to help with his next attack.

"Now!" both of the trainers shouted in unison.

Upon hearing his master's command, Charizard released a huge stream of fire, hot enough to instantly liquefy anything known to man, hot enough to turn any rock into magma.

A huge wall of thick vines came up all around Venusaur, shielding it long enough to avoid the direct force of the ultimate fire-type attack. Large vines then began to attack Charizard who was redirecting his Blast Burn attack toward Venasaur.

As the white-hot flames scorched Venusaur, a large vine hit Charizard's stomach, instantly stopping the flames.

After the attacks were over, both Pokemon were on the ground, and an anxious atmosphere descended upon the crowd. But before either trainer could recall his Pokemon, Charizard slowly began to stand up, ready to fight again. However, Venusaur was still lying on the ground, unconscious.

The Ash trainers all became ecstatic as they realized that Ash had pulled of a close second round against the 9th Pokemon League champ.

"Nice job, Ash," Red congratulated the younger trainer, as he recalled his Pokemon.

"Thanks, Red" Ash replied as he recalled Charizard back to his pokeball, lauding his excellent effort against Venusaur.

"One more round to go," Red said to Ash, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Let's do this!" Ash replied, "Go Pikachu!"

"Go Pika!" Red yelled as he threw Pika's pokeball.

The whole crowd, which was now quite large, cheered as the two electric types stepped onto the battlefield. This was the match everyone had been waiting for. The famous Pikachu that had easily knocked out Cynthia's Milotic in the Sinnoh league, was now going to battle the equally powerful Pika, who had a lot more battling experience than Ash's Pokemon had. The two Pokemon stared each other down, trying to read the other's thoughts before the battle began.

"Pika, Agility!" Red ordered his Pokemon.

"Pikachu, you use Agility too!" Ash commanded Pikachu, preparing to test if Pika was as fast as he was.

Pika and Pikachu started to disappear and reappear all over the battlefield as they raced around each other at blinding speeds. As soon as one of them would get into position to launch an attack, his target would disappear and reappear in an advantageous position to strike. This vicious cycle went on, seemingly without stop, for about five minutes.

"Pika, try to hit him with Thunderbolt!" Red ordered, hoping that he change the pace of this battle in his favor.

"Don't give him the chance! Use Iron tail!" Ash said to Pikachu.

As Pikachu dodged the Thunderbolt attack, he dashed toward Pika and struck him square in the face with his rigid tail, greatly injuring Red's Pokemon.

"Ok Pikachu, Use Discharge!" Ash said to his partner.

Pikachu, sending electricity out its body in all directions, managed to land a hit on Pika, who was momentarily stunned by the shockwave of electricity.

"Quick, Use Iron Tail again!" Ash ordered the electric mouse.

"Chu, Pika!" Pikachu said as he struck Pika on the head with his glowing, white tail.

After being hit with two iron tail attacks in a row, Pika wasn't looking at his best, and quickly dashed in front of his trainer, waiting for further orders.

"Pika, get ready for a Thunder!" Red said, going for the all-or-nothing strategy.

"Pikachu, counter his Thunder with yours!" Ash commanded his Pokemon, wanting to end this prolonged battle before anymore people started to show up.

As the two massive currents of electricity collided with each other, everybody in the general area felt their hair stand on end as the electrical disturbance had filled the air with static electricity.

For a minute the two small electric types discharged electricity from their bodies, trying to overpower the other.

"C'mon Pikachu, I know you can do it!" Ash called out, encouraging his Pokemon to do his best.

"Don't let him beatcha! Pika!" Red cried, hoping that his old companion could still hold out.

As both trainers called out support to their Pokemon, the crowd began to go wild, during the stalemate, many more people had shown up. They surrounded the battlefield, anxious to see who the winner would turn out to be.

"Quick, Pikachu, Agility into Iron Tail!" Ash called out. He knew that if Pikachu didn't get out of there at the exactly right time, it could spell the end for the whole match.

Focusing his power into his legs, Pikachu quickly leapt out of the path of electricity and dashed toward Pika, who was too tired to dodge the attack. Severely damaged by the force of three iron tail attacks, Pika could no longer stay standing any longer, and fell to the ground, unconscious.


	9. Chapter 8

When the crowd realized that Ash had indeed beaten the 9th Pokemon league champion, they went mad with cheering. They all rushed toward the winner, asking for his autograph and wanting to take his picture.

Great, I gotta get out of another crowd of adoring fans!Ash thought to himself… but Pidgeot's resting at Red's house… and Charizard's too tired from the battle to carry me out of here. What am I gonna do?!

Suddenly, Ash felt a hand grab his wrist and drag him roughly out of the crowd. At first the trainer tried to release himself from the firm grip, but soon he realized that the reassuring touch of the hand felt oddly familiar.

After breaking free of the mob, who luckily hadn't notice the champion leave amidst all of the confusion, Ash looked up to catch a glimpse of the person who had helped him out of the tight spot.

His savior turned out to be a girl, a pretty girl at that. She wore a red, tight-fitting shirt, a short, white skirt, a pair of black bicycling shorts under the skirt, and a red bandana on her head. She had long brown hair that came out the sides of her red bandana, a nicely-curved hourglass body, and a set of gorgeous sapphire eyes that could captivate any man, and Ash recognized her immediately.

"May!" the champion exclaimed with delight. "I never thought I'd-"

"Ash, we can talk about this later. We gotta get out of sight before the crowd finds out that you're gone," the coordinator interrupted. "C'mon, my apartment's only a couple of blocks away." May shouted as she started running in the opposite direction of the crowd.

"Ok, wait up!" cried the boy as he chased after May. "Jeez, you'd think that she'd at least say 'Hi'…"

After running for about three blocks, the coordinator and the trainer stopped in front of a large, brick apartment building. It was a rusty, red color, with dusty windows and a grey fire escape on the side of the building, but as they entered the building, Ash noticed that the building was fairly new on the inside, despite its dilapidated external appearance. The entrance of the apartment building had shiny, white walls, which were covered with pictures of various Pokemon battles throughout the years, warm, yellow lights, which came from numerous fans hanging from the ceiling, and a pair of black elevators that took tenants to their respective rooms.

"Whew, glad we got out of that one," the coordinator said, as Ash and May rode up the elevator to the girl's apartment.

"Yeah," Ash replied, "but how did you know I was there?"

"As if I have to explain," May said, sarcastically, "I mean, half the town was there already, don't you think that someone three blocks away from the actual battle would notice those huge explosions?!"

"Oh, hah, I guess that was kinda obvious," Ash awkwardly said, looking at his feet.

"Don't worry about it Ash, you know I was only kidding around," May playfully said as she bumped him with her elbow, "I can never be mad at you!"

"Ok, ok," Ash said as he flashed his signature grin at the coordinator, who blushed at the sight of the trainer's smile.

"You know Ash that was a really exciting battle to watch," May said, as she continued to blush, "but I never expected anything less from the Champion of the Four Regions!"

"Heh, I wouldn't expect anything less out of me either!" Ash replied, his old ego returning to its former strength.

"I see that your ego hasn't deflated a single bit!" May playfully replied, her arms on her hips in mock seriousness.

"Oh whatever, May. You're one to-" Ash paused mid-sentence as the elevator doors opened to reveal the coordinator's apartment. The living room, which was adjacent to the elevator, was decorated in a modern style, with stylish, olive-colored walls, wooden floors, and an elegant, brown sofa located in the middle of the room. Placed in front of the sofa was a large-screen television that was mounted directly on the wall and a glass coffee table that had a vase of tulips on top of it. Down the hall, there was a kitchen, fully stocked with all of the foods that May loved, and, further down the hall, was the sole bedroom of the apartment.

"Wow May, your apartment looks great!" Ash said to the girl next to him, "I never knew that you were such an awesome interior designer."

"Well, coordinating is all about style and design, so I guess it would be fitting that I would have such refined taste." May said, winking at Ash.

"I guess that makes sense," Ash replied, "anyways, what are we gonna do while we wait for the 'heat' to die down?"

"Um, I dunno, how about we watch some TV?" the coordinator asked as she plopped down on the large sofa.

"Ok, let me just call Orange, he must be worried about me," Ash replied to the girl.

After dialing Orange's number on his cell phone, Ash put the device up to his ear, waiting for the teenage boy to pick up. After a few seconds of ringing, a familiar voice came through the speaker, "Hello?"

"Hey Orange, it's me Ash, I was just calling to let you know that I'm fine. I'm just gonna stay at my friend's house for a while." Ash said into the phone's receiver.

"Ok, no problem Ash, but just so you know… you left Pikachu on the battlefield, and he's been worried sick about you!"

"What!" Ash cried into the phone, "I thought that Pikachu was following me…"

"Well, he wasn't, but he's fine. He's just resting up back at my house."

"Take good care of him for me. And tell him that I'm sorry." Ash replied.

"No problem Ash, see ya!" Orange said as he hung up from the line.

"Bye!" Ash said, a little too late.

"What were you so worried about?" May asked as Ash sat down beside her.

"Oh, I accidentally left Pikachu behind when you grabbed me from the crowd." Ash said, embarrassed that he would leave his best friend behind after he had just earned him an exciting victory against Red.

"Sorry, I guess that was partially my fault," May said as she looked down at her feet.

"Don't worry about it, May, Pikachu's fine." Ash reassured the coordinator.

"If you say so," May said as she resumed absent-mindedly flipping through the channels.

After about ten minutes of trying to find something interesting to watch, May suddenly turned off the TV and said in an annoyed voice, "Ugh, this is boring, let's go do something fun!"

"Like what?" Ash asked, surprised that May could become bored so easily.

"Let's go watch a movie!" May said, "I've been meaning to see that movie about you."

"What?!" Ash replied, not believing what he had just heard, "There's a movie about me?!"

"Hehe, yah! It's been out for, like, three weeks, but I guess when you isolate yourself on an island for two years, you don't stay up with current events." The coordinator said to Ash, with a mocking smile.

"Wow, I gotta see this!" Ash excitedly said, then he realized something. "but May, won't people recognize me from this morning?"

"Nah, even though it's been three weeks since the movie came out, Ash imposters still flock there like ants to a picnic! You'll blend in like you're wearing camouflage," May giggled, as she began to prepare for their date.

When Ash and May arrived at the movie theater, about seven blocks from May's apartment, they found that it was relatively empty, since it was, in fact, a school night and all of the high school students that would normally congregate at the theater were at home studying or sleeping.

"Two tickets to 'Ask Ketchum: the Journey of a Champion,'" May said to the ticket clerk, who then handed them their tickets.

After forcing Ash to pay for their tickets and a myriad of snack items, May playfully ran into the showing room and selected a seat at the top row.

"Why the top row?" Ash asked as he struggled to carry the popcorn, drinks, and candy to the seat next to May.

"Well, so no one can spy on us from above," May, teasingly said, "that way we can be alone through the whole movie."

Ash, blushing at her reasoning, said in an awkward voice, "W-w-why would you care about people looking at us?"

"Oh, no reason…" May said as she flashed a sly grin.

"Um, ok," the champion replied, becoming redder.

"The movie's starting!" the coordinator said as Ash sat down beside her.

The theater became dark as the title of the movie was displayed on the large screen in red and blue letters. Ash looked on in interest as a not-so-accurate depiction of his starting day as a Pokemon trainer was acted out by a dashingly handsome actor.

'Ash' yawned as he woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. "Ah, what a perfect morning to start my journey as a Pokemon trainer," 'Ash' said.

After eating a large breakfast prepared by a much more beautiful Delia, 'Ash' then walked down the block to Professor Oak's laboratory where he was prompted by the professor to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

"Hm…" pseudo-Ash said, "everybody gets Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle. Don't you have any better Pokemon?"

"Well, I have Pikachu, Poliwag, Geodude, Pidgey, and Zubat, which do you want?" said 'Professor Oak.'

"I choose Pikachu! I can just feel that he will be my best friend!" 'Ash' said, making the real Ash roll his eyes in disbelief.

During the next hour-and-a-half, 'Ash' met two new traveling companions. A Water Pokemon trainer by the name of Foggy, who was a red-headed girl with a fiery temper that always would smack 'Ash,' most of the time for no reason, and a rock-type trainer named Brad, who was always getting hit on by girls. 'Ash' had many adventures in Kanto, beating all the gyms and placing in the top sixteen in the Indigo league after his Charizard was put to sleep by 'Ritchie's' Butterfree.

About halfway through the Johto league gyms, Ash thought to himselfUgh, this movie is terrible…almost none of the facts are right. And plus it moves too fast, they should've made it into a TV show or something.Bored by the monotony of seeing his past accomplishments portrayed incorrectly, Ash couldn't help but fall asleep in the dark theater.

May looked over at Ash, who had just dozed off. He looks so cute when he's asleep, the coordinator thought.I wonder if he thinks the same way about me…

After the movie had ended, one grueling hour later, May shook Ash awake and said, "C'mon sleepyhead, it's time to go. The movie's over."

"I can't believe you talked me into watching that crappy movie," Ash groggily said. "Ugh, let's get out of here."

As Ash and May walked back to the coordinator's apartment, May turned to the boy next to her and said with a teasing smile, "You know, I think that I like the Ash in the movie better. He has much nicer hair than you do."

"Really?" said a surprised Ash. "I guess he did have nice hair…"

"But, you're a much better friend than he is," May said, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

After recovering from the initial shock of May's affectionate position, Ash awkwardly wrapped his arm around her shoulder.Ugh, I'm bad at this romantic stuff…

"Heh, you're sure bad at this romantic stuff," the coordinator playfully said, which made Ash look away embarrassedly.

"W-w-who said I was trying to be romantic? It just seemed like the right thing to do," Ash stammered, his face bright red.

"But it's sweet anyway," May continued as they arrived at the apartment.

As the Ash was about to say goodbye, he felt a strange feeling in his stomach.Is… Is this love? Does love feel like this? It feels different from what I felt when I was with Misty and Dawn- Rrrrruummmble –Or I could just be hungry…

When May heard Ash's stomach, she couldn't help but double over in laughter, which made Ash look away uncomfortably.

"C'mon Ash, let's go up to my room and get something to eat," the coordinator said, wiping a tear from her eye, "I'm getting hungry too."

After the two young adults had entered the apartment, May ran over to the kitchen of the apartment and began preparing two bowls of instant ramen, her favorite midnight snack.

"Wow, haven't had this in a while," Ash said, as the girl brought a plastic bowl filled with noodles over to the couch where he was sitting.

"Really? What do you eat on the island?" May asked, as she carefully sat down beside him.

"Mostly fish that Feraligatr catches, and sometimes fruit that Sceptile finds," the trainer replied, recalling his memories from the island.

"Wow, you really had to rely on your Pokemon on the island," the coordinator said as she slurped up some of the spicy noodles.

"Yah, I did, but it also got pretty lonely on the island," Ash added, with a gloomy expression on his face.

"How so?" May inquired, "you had all your Pokemon there didn't you? It's like being surrounded by family."

"But… eventually, you want… another person there, you know? Someone to talk to and carry a conversation with… someone… to love," Ash admitted, looking away after saying the last part.

"Is that the real reason you came to Goldenrod City?" May asked, staring into his captivating, auburn eyes, as she placed her empty bowl of ramen onto the table beside her.

Ash turned around and looked into her deep, sapphire eyes, "I came… to see you, May."

"Ash, I… I-"

Before May could finish her sentence, Ash gently placed his hand behind her neck and brought his face closer to hers. They could both feel their hearts pounding as the distance between them decreased. And as Ash finally placed his lips on top of hers, they both felt an unexplainable electricity flow between them. As if, by this kiss, they had sparked an eternal energy that would power their love forever.

After a few minutes of rapture, the couple finally broke their embrace, and May finished her sentence in a calm, loving tone, "I love you too, Ash."

Well you've done it now Ash…Ash thought, his eyes glazing over,what now? First Misty, then Dawn, and now May! I can't just skip around girl-to-girl like this; I have to buckle down and choose one…and only one. But who? And how? When? Where?

The questions, the doubts, and the fears came crashing into Ash's mind. He had to make a choice, maybe the hardest choice that he's ever had to make, but to make it, he has to break the hearts of two girls that he truly cares about.

"Anything the matter, Ash?" May asked as she noticed the cold look in Ash's normally enchanting eyes.

"I'm just… tired, that's all," Ash lied, hoping that he could just live in this moment for a few years, so that he could contemplate what he should do.

"Ok, you can sleep here if you want. The sofa folds out into a bed," May said. "Don't worry, we don't do anything bad. I like to go at a steady pace," the coordinator explained, winking at Ash.

"Heh," Ash let out a weak laugh, his mind too cluttered to fully process what May had said.

"Lemme get you a blanket," said the coordinator as she left to get a warm blanket from her bedroom.

When she returned, not only was she carrying a large, red blanket, but she had changed into her pajamas, which consisted of a blue shirt that was two sizes too big, so that it hung off of her body in many folds, and a pair of short shorts.

As she came up to the fold-out sofa, she noticed that Ash was already asleep, with a peaceful expression on his face, which masked the inner turmoil that had, just a moment go, plagued the young man.

After throwing the blanket over the trainer, in a sudden act of impulse, May went under the covers, next to Ash, and placed her head on his chest. "I love you, Ash," May whispered into his ear.

"I love you too, May."


	10. Chapter 9

As the sunlight of morning trickled into the dimly lit apartment, the young champion slowly opened his eyes to face the new day. Looking down at the figure by his side, he felt a reassuring warmth build up inside of him. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wishing that his life could always be this simple.

Ash slowly slinked out of bed, careful not to wake up the sleeping beauty beside him, and walked over to the window. The city was just waking up with few people walking the streets below and only a handful of cars at the intersection nearby. The champion pondered over the events of the past few days. He sighed again as he contemplated a way work out this awkward situation.

Do I tell them one by one? Or all at once? Or maybe I shouldn't tell them at all…Ash shook his head, trying to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each scenario in his head. While a few details would change in each scenario, some would stay constant, such as broken hearts and incorrigible feelings.Is there anyway that I could choose just one, yet, still be friends with the others?

With no solution readily presenting itself, Ash dejectedly sat down on the bed next to the coordinator, who was still sleeping soundly. He looked down at the beautiful girl sleeping next to him, unaware of the war raging inside his heart. He truly loved her, yet, he truly loved Misty and Dawn as well. Ash felt as if his heart was being pulled in three directions, one toward Misty, one toward May, and one toward Dawn.

Ash coldly chuckled to himself,I'm thinking about how I'm gonna tell them, but I haven't even figured out which one that I've chosen!

He loved them for different and unique reasons; Misty for her bold determination and fearless mind-set, May for her distinctive style and playful nature, and Dawn for her spunky attitude and positive outlook.

Ash sighed yet again, trying to release some excess stress from his body.Why does this have to be so hard? Why did I have to rush into these relationships without fully thinking them through? I guess that's just how I am…

The champion put his head in his hands, sorting through the various emotions that were welling up inside of him. Sadness, optimism, dread, determination…love.

I need to talk to Pikachu,Ash finally determined.Two brains are better than one.

"May," Ash quietly said to the coordinator, as he gently ran his fingers through her silky, brown hair. "May, c'mon, wake up."

Slowly opening her eyes, the brunette looked up with a smile to the love of her life, "Good morning, Ash. Sleep well?"

"I guess you could say so," Ash replied, "Get ready, I wanna go pick up Pikachu and Pidgeot at Orange's house."

"Ok, let me get dressed and we'll go," May quietly said.

After 15 minutes of preparation, May walked out of her bedroom. She wore a green bandana, an orange blouse that extended to her mid-thigh, and a pair of black bicycle shorts; the same outfit that she had worn during the Lake Valor Wallace Cup about 6 years ago.

"How do I look?" May said as she posed in front of Ash.

"Y-you look great," Ash replied, a small blush spreading across his face.

"I thought that we were a couple now," the coordinator retorted indignantly, "how can you still be embarrassed by stuff like that?"

"It's just that, you looked so pretty that I… kinda… you know," Ash mumbled, his blush deepening.

"Don't think like that Ash," May responded, a blush of her own spreading across her face, "not until later anyway."

"Um… we better get going," Ash stated, hoping to end this awkward moment. "Pikachu's probably getting worried."

"Ok," May said in a more cheerful voice. Grabbing Ash's hand, she ran toward the elevator and descended down to the bottom floor.

Ash and May walked hand in hand toward Orange's house. The coordinator loved the cool breeze that blew through her hair and the bright sunshine on her face, and she resolved to take Ash for a walk later in the Goldenrod Park.

"Ash, how much longer until we get there?" May complained in a whiney voice.

"How can you be tired already? We've only walked for 15 minutes," replied Ash in a bland tone.

"Well, Mr. Pokemon Master, unlike you, I haven't traveled around in 3 years!" the coordinator retorted with mock anger on her face.

"You must've been sitting around a whole lot to be tired after only 15 minutes," the champion playfully said, as he started to run in the direction of Orange's house.

"I heard that Ash Ketchum!" the brunette girl exclaimed as she started to chase after him, forgetting how tired that she had just been.

Pikachu perked up his tail as he heard the familiar footsteps of Ash and May on the porch outside, and as he was running toward the door, the electric rodent thought that he heard a muffled thud as the coordinator's fist came in contact with the raven-haired boy's skull. After hearing the doorbell, Orange, who was alone in the house, bounded toward the entrance to the house, knowing full well who was behind the door, but as he opened the door, the teenage boy was shocked to see a beautiful girl alongside his hero, who was rubbing a large bump on his head.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed at the sight of his trainer.

"Pikachu! I'm so sorry I left you behind!" Ash apologized as he bent down and scooped up his first Pokemon. "Orange, thanks so much for taking care of Pikachu for me."

"No problem, Ash," Orange said as he scratched his head, "I guess I don't owe you anymore."

"Guess not," Ash replied, then he grabbed May's hand, "May, this is Orange." After that he grabbed Orange's hand, "Orange, this is May."

"Nice to meet you," the coordinator said to the teenage boy, taking his hand in a polite handshake.

"N-n-nice to meet you, too" Orange stammered, awed by the coordinator's grace and beauty.

"Hey Pikachu," said the coordinator as she bent down and patted Pikachu on the head, which made him coo with pleasure.

As May went to the living room and took a seat on the couch, Orange pulled Ash to the side and whispered into his ear, "Ash, who's this hot chick?"

Ash, angered by the younger trainer's statement, said in a fairly loud voice, "That 'hot chick' is the May that I was talking about back at the Pokemon center. Hands off!"

"Nice catch," Orange whispered back, with a sly smile on his face, "does she have any siblings?"

"Well, she has a brother, but that's it," Ash replied.

"Aww man," the younger trainer replied, clearly disappointed by Ash's answer.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of fish in the sea," the champion replied to his fan.But some people just catch too many…Ash wearily thought to himself.

"Thanks Ash… I guess," Orange replied to his hero, "Lemme go get your Pidgeot from the backyard, he's probably wondering where you are."

"Thanks, Orange," Ash called out as the younger trainer ran off to the backyard.

After Orange was out of earshot, May turned to Ash, "Man, that kid's weird. Did you see the way he was looking at my chest? Who is he anyway?"

"He's a trainer, and he's going to the Johto Silver Conference in two months." Ash replied as he sat down next to May. "He's also a big fan of mine."

"Really now? Does he dress up like you?" the coordinator asked with a hint of mockery.

"Heh, he says he does, but I've never seen his costume," the champion replied with a smile.

"You know Ash, sitting here in this quaint little house, it kinda feels like we're an old couple," May stated as she looked up at Ash.

"I see what you mean," the trainer from Pallet replied as he put his arm around her shoulder. Pikachu looked up at his trainer with a questioning look, and Ash returned the look with a slight frown.

As the younger trainer walked back into the room with Pidgeot's pokeball in hand, May, who had conveniently not seen the silent exchange between Ash and Pikachu, looked over at the champion with a stern look, indicating that she was ready to leave.

Ash, who reluctantly agreed to the silent request, stood up from the couch and walked over to Orange. "Thanks, Orange. Um… we gotta go now," the champion uncomfortably said, "sorry we couldn't stay longer."

"That's ok Ash, I understand," the teenager said as he shot a sly grin at Ash, then May. "Don't havetoomuch fun."

Ash, who blushed a deep crimson at this comment, replied in a choked voice, "N-n-no, w-w-we just gotta… go." The champion hid his face from the younger trainer, embarrassed that he couldn't think of anything smarter to say.

"Just kidding, Ash." Orange said with a genuine smile, "Just be sure to come back when my parents aren't working."

"Ok, see ya, Orange," Ash said as he took Pidgeot's pokeball and walked out the door with Pikachu and May.

"Why the heck did you want to leave so soon?" Ash asked the coordinator as they aimlessly walked from Orange's house.

"I just wanted to get out of that stuffy house," the brunette girl replied.

"Is that really the reason?" the champion asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes!" May replied cutely, "don't you believe me?"

"Whatever…" Ash retorted, rolling his eyes, "Where are we going anyway?"

"Well, since it's such a nice day, I thought that we should go for a walk in Goldenrod Park," the coordinator said, as she smiled pleasantly.

"That sounds nice," the raven-haired boy replied, a pleased look on his face.

After about half an hour of walking through the city, the couple reached a large park located on the northern side of the town. Hundreds of large oak, birch, and elm trees had been planted in this urban park, and many small lakes were located all around the area. Numerous gravel trails crisscrossed the entirety of the commons, leading visitors to many secluded areas at every end of the refuge. Under the blue sky and the golden sun, the park became a serene sanctuary from the madness of the urban life.

Ash looked all around him, amazed that such an immense and beautiful park could be located in one of the busiest cities in Johto. May lead the champion to many of her favorite spots in the park, such as an elegant water fountain that was placed on one of the small lakes, a large sculpture of Ho-oh which graced the very center of the park, and a graceful, wooden bridge that spanned the length of an artificial river.

After about an hour of exploring the park, the couple stopped to rest near a secluded pond on the eastern side of the park. The pond, which was colored a brilliant shade of emerald, was surrounded by a mass of young trees, swaying in the gentle breeze. Cattails grew around the edges of the water where Yanma lazily hovered. They sat down on a grassy hill near the pond and watched the water placidly lap onto the sandy bank a few feet away.

Ash and May both looked out over the water, not saying a word, just letting the serene beauty of the landscape take them away to a different state of mind. Ash felt an extreme tranquility come over his mind. All of the turmoil of his love life was silenced, quelled by the peaceful backdrop of the sparkling, emerald pond.

Ash sighed softly. He wished that he could pause time and live in this moment forever, sitting alongside a beautiful girl without a care in the world, wholly content with his life.

May looked over at the handsome boy next to her. His countenance was purely serene, like a fresh snowfall in winter, the mayhem that used to haunt his deep, auburn eyes had disappeared and was replaced with a quiet satisfaction. She smiled, pleased that the trainer was no longer plagued by the mysterious disturbance in his life.

Ash turned to face the coordinator and looked straight into her enchanting, sapphire eyes. In those captivating eyes, he saw an undying trust, unwavering in its determination, ready to follow him anywhere.

"May…thanks for bringing me here," said the trainer from Pallet in a calm, even tone, "It helped me sort some things out."

"I always come here whenever I feel confused about something important," May said as she looked back over the sparkling, emerald water, "When Drew and I broke up last year, I came here almost every day to sort out my feelings."

"Really? When did you go out with Drew?" Ash asked in an inquisitive tone.

The coordinator looked down at her shoes in embarrassment as she retold the story of her past relationship. "Well, about two years ago, Drew had started to slip up in his contests and had acquired a large losing streak. Since he was normally so calm and composed, I was quite worried about his well-being and decided to talk to him after one of his contests. After a few minutes of denying his ineptitude, he unexpectedly confessed that he was in love with me and explained that his adoration had distracted him from his contests. Naturally, when I heard this, I was quite shocked. I had never seen him as anything more than a rival, and being in a relationship with him would change everything, not just contests. But, since he seemed sincere in his confession, I decided to give him a chance to win me over."

May shot the champion a worried look, hoping that the trainer wouldn't be offended by what she would say next. Ash silently nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"After the first few dates, I had convinced myself that I was in love with him. His laid-back attitude and casual charm had seemingly won my heart, but there was always a small part of me that would quietly cry out whenever we would kiss. However, after a year of dating, his charm had faded. His eyes didn't have the same sparkle that they did when we first met. He had moved on in his life, and so had I. And around a year ago, we decided that we would be better off just as friends."

"Oh, I'm sorry May," Ash apologized as he noticed the sad look in her normally sparkling eyes.

"It's ok, really." The coordinator said, reassuring the raven-haired boy. "Now that I look back at it, I never really had the same feelings for him… as I do for you." The sparkling in her sapphire eyes had returned and was directed squarely at Ash.

"May, do you really love me?" Ash said, trying to confirm what his heart told him already.

"Ash, I couldn't imagine being with anyone but you," the brunette girl replied, upset that he would ask such a question.

"Then…could you meet me at my old house in Pallet Town in a week?" Ash asked with an uncertain look on his face.

"I can…but, why?" May replied, with a puzzled expression.

"I just need to make my final decision…"the raven-haired boy quietly explained.

May, not wanting to pry further into the boy's enigmatic comment, merely nodded her head and slowly stood up. "I think it's about time that I headed back to the apartment."

"Okay…I'll see you in a week," Ash gently said as he released Pidgeot.

"Where will you be?" the coordinator simply

asked, though she already knew the answer.

"…Cerulean City."

A flapping of wings…and he was gone


	11. Chapter 10

The ground below raced by as the powerful Bird Pokemon raced through the skies of Johto toward the large city of Cerulean. Trees and houses became nothing more than a green-and-yellow blur as Pidgeot gained speed. While Ash and Pikachu clung tightly to the back of the faithful Pokemon, the small electric-type was brimming with questions to ask his trainer.

"Pika, pika pichu?" the electric rodent asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You see Pikachu, I'm gonna ask Misty and Dawn to meet me at our old house in Pallet as well, and hopefully by then I'll know to pick." The champion said with a feigned confidence.

"Pi…ka, chu pika…" sighed Ash's first Pokemon.

"…I don't really wanna think about that right now," Ash explained, "at this point, I'm just doing what my heart tells me…wasn't that your advice?"

But Pikachu's right…Ash grimly thought, what if I can't decide by then?What'll I do? They'll all be in the same place, and eventually the conversation will turn toward their love lives…And even if I do decide…I would break the hearts of two of them…How can I do that?

"Pika…pikachu," Pikachu said reassuringly, when he noticed the distressed look on Ash's face.

"You're right Pikachu, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it," Ash chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Pikachu gently sighed, annoyed by his trainer's procrastination. "Chu, chu pika…"

"I hope I know what I'm doing too…"

After safely landing in front of the Cerulean gym, Ash returned Pidgeot to his pokeball and walked over to the large building before him. However, when he reached the clear, glass doors of the gym, he noticed a small note, hastily written, that was taped to the doors.

It read: 'Gone Fishing! Gym closed for today! Sorry for the inconvenience, Cerulean City Gym.'

Ash sighed heavily, "How am I gonna find Misty now?"

"Pika, Pikachu!" said the electric rodent, who began to walk down an old dirt path.

"Ok, you lead the way," the raven-haired boy said as he started to follow the electric rodent down the path.

The path led into a dark, but familiar forest. Ash recognized it almost immediately as the Viridian Forest. The trees were so thick that very little light could penetrate through to the forest floor, making it difficult to navigate through the gloomy forest. Fortunately for Ash, Pikachu was a native of Viridian Forest and knew the woods very well.

"This forest is pretty dark, Pikachu. Do you even know where you're going?" asked a curious Ash.

"Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu.

"Ok, ok, jeez," apologized Ash.

After a few hours of wandering through the deep, dark forest, Ash began to have doubts about whether Pikachu knew what he was doing. But, just as Ash was about to tell his Pokemon to head back, he heard the faint sound of running water in the direction that they were headed.

"Hey Pikachu, let's get a drink, I'm parched," the raven-haired boy called out to his Pokemon.

"Pika, pi" replied the electric-type, who also was quite thirsty.

Ash and Pikachu squinted their eyes as they walked out of the dimly lit forest and into the bright sunshine of the riverbank. The calm waters nearby were shaded a beautiful azure blue, sparkling like a jewel in the brilliant sunshine. At the sight of the large river, the yellow rodent cooed in anticipation and bounded toward the grassy bank below. The champion simply smiled as he walked at a more casual pace toward the gleaming waters.

"How does it taste?" asked the trainer as he watched his partner take a long drink from the blue water.

"Chaaa," cooed the electric rodent.

"Glad to hear," Ash chuckled as he filled up an empty canteen from his pack, and after taking a long drink from the container, the champion smiled, "Ahh, this reminds me of our traveling days."

"Pika, Pika," the electric-type agreed.

"Ugh, let's take a break. We've been searching for hours," Ash yawned as he laid down on the soft, green grass near the placid water.

"Pikachu," the yellow rodent replied, as he curled up in a comfortable position and fell asleep.

As he lay on his back, the champion watched the fluffy, white clouds pass by in the blue sky above. This was the kind of peace that he longed for, alone with his faithful Pokemon and the peaceful sounds of the swaying trees and the calm river. It felt similar to the emerald pond in Goldenrod Park, though, in some odd way, completely different.

Faintly, in the forest behind him, Ash heard the light sound of leaves crackling under the footstep of an approaching person. As the footsteps advanced closer, the champion looked up to see who had dared to intrude upon his serene retreat.

Ash could only chuckle as none other than the Cerulean City gym leader strode out of the forest and into the clearing.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" Misty asked with surprised look.

"Heh, isn't that what you asked me last time?" the champion replied, still lying on the grass.

"I mean, um… why are you here, at my favorite fishing spot?" the redhead asked as she sat down next to Ash.

"Well, I kinda came here by accident, just wandering through the woods," Ash replied, as he gazed at a particularly interesting cloud.

"Why were you wandering through Viridian Forest?" Misty asked.

"You're just full of questions today, aren't you?" the trainer from Pallet chuckled as he put his hands behind his head. "If you have to know, I was looking for you."

Misty blushed lightly as she gazed deeply at the handsome boy next to her. "So, now that you've found me, what do you want?"

"Well you came here to fish, right? So let's fish," Ash said as he flashed a grin.

"But you don't have a rod…" the redhead pointed out.

Ash nervously blinked and frantically searched through his pack for a special item.

"How about this?" the champion said as he pulled out a small lure. It was shaped like a tiny girl with bright orange hair, in a side ponytail, a yellow tank top with red overalls, and a pair of short blue jeans.

"Wow, Ash, you kept that all these years?" Misty inquired as she examined the lure that she had given him long ago.

"Of course, it's a memento of our friendship," the raven-haired boy replied as he handed the lure to Misty. "We'll use your pole and my lure."

The redhead simply nodded and fastened the lure onto her red fishing pole. Then she slowly drew her arms back and cast the line out into the slow-moving river. Misty then set the pole on a small stand and reclined into a comfortable position.

"Now we wait," stated the Cerulean City gym leader.

Ash, who had been busy gazing at the various clouds above, pointed at a fairly large specimen. "Hey Misty, what does that look like to you?"

Following Ash's extended finger, the gym leader looked up toward the sky and fixed her gaze on the cloud in question. "Hmm… it…kinda looks like a…Staryu," replied the redhead.

"Yeah, and that one, to the left, don't you think that it sorta looks like a Skitty?" Ash said as he pointed at another cloud.

Misty adjusted her view, and, sure enough, a feline-shaped cloud was slowly passing overhead.

They lay there for almost two hours, watching the clouds pass by and enjoying each other's company, not minding that they still hadn't gotten a single bite. But as the sun began to lower, tinting the sky a rusty orange, Misty slowly sat up and said, "We should get going. It's getting late, and the Viridian Forest can be dangerous at night."

"All right… let's go Pikachu," Ash reluctantly said as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Piiiikaaa," yawned the yellow rodent as he shook himself awake.

After gathering their supplies, the trio walked back towards Cerulean City as the forest steadily became darker. Pikachu again lead the way, though Misty showed him a shortcut to Cerulean City that would shorten their travel time considerably.

Though the redhead was walking close to Ash, she couldn't muster up the courage to take his hand. She sighed to herself, afraid of what the raven-haired boy would think of her if she tried to make another move. Misty remembered the confused look on Ash's face after she had kissed him. It was a very surprised, almost astonished, look, as if he had never in 100 years imagined that that would happen. The gym leader bit her lip, regretting that she had made such a foolish decision the last time that the two of them had met. Misty resolved to give Ash some space this time, and to just have fun tonight.

As the two young adults walked side by side, the brisk nighttime breeze picked up, stirring the branches above them with a gentle rustling. Misty, who was sparsely dressed, shivered silently as the chilly gusts brushed against her skin. When Ash saw this, he felt a pang of pity for the quivering girl and offered her his sweater, which he slowly pulled over his head. Though reluctant at first, the gym leader couldn't stand the cool breeze any longer and slipped the rather large sweater over her thin frame.

As the soft fabric enveloped her in warmth, Misty quietly thanked the raven-haired trainer, who received the appreciation with an affectionate smile. The redhead quickly turned away and hid her growing blush. She didn't want to do anything that might unhinge the situation, at least not yet. But it was hard to suppress her feelings, especially in the romantic moonlight…

Stumbling out of the dense undergrowth of the forest, the trio finally arrived at the outskirts of Cerulean City. The dazzling lights flashed shades of green, violet, blue, and red across the dark sky and invited visitors into the town, like moths to a flame. Ash checked his watch, which read, "9:46 p.m."

"Good," Ash said aloud, "the night is still young."

"Maybe for you," Misty replied as she hung her head, "I have to wake up early tomorrow. There's an exhibition match all the way in Pewter City."

"That sounds like fun!" Ash said in an energetic voice, "Can I come?"

"S-sure," Misty said, taken aback by Ash's blunt proposition, "But you won't be able to compete. Gym leaders only."

"Oh well, I wanna see how much you've improved," the champion said with a wink, "Let's hurry and get to the gym so we can get a good night's sleep. It's a long way to Pewter!"

"Okay," the gym leader quietly replied.I wonder why he wants to come so badly…

As Ash, Misty, and Pikachu entered the Cerulean Gym, Daisy walked over to see who had come.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" Daisy asked in a tired voice.

"I'm gonna go with Misty tomorrow to the exhibition match in Pewter City," the champion replied with a smile.

"Oh really?" Daisy replied as she gave Misty an inquisitive look. "I guess you can sleep on the couch…unless you would prefer otherwise?"

Ash, turning bright red when he heard this, awkwardly replied, "I-I'll be f-fine on the c-couch."

Daisy, giggling at the raven-haired boy's awkwardness, simply walked off to her bedroom, which was on the second floor.

Misty, who hadn't said a thing during the whole exchange, uncomfortably looked over at Ash and said in a strained voice, "Um…I'll wake you at six…"

With that, she ran off to her room and quickly shut the door behind her.

Ash, who was left standing at the doorway, merely blinked and strolled over to the couch in the living room. Setting his backpack by the decrepit couch, he laid down and looked up at the ceiling fan twirling above him. As Pikachu jumped onto his stomach, the champion looked at his long-time companion and pet his soft, yellow fur.

"We're gonna have a long day tomorrow," Ash said as he stroked the electric-rodent, "And we're gonna have a long talk with Brock."


	12. Chapter 11

The ground below raced by as the powerful Bird Pokemon raced through the skies of Johto toward the large city of Cerulean. Trees and houses became nothing more than a green-and-yellow blur as Pidgeot gained speed. While Ash and Pikachu clung tightly to the back of the faithful Pokemon, the small electric-type was brimming with questions to ask his trainer.

"Pika, pika pichu?" the electric rodent asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You see Pikachu, I'm gonna ask Misty and Dawn to meet me at our old house in Pallet as well, and hopefully by then I'll know to pick." The champion said with a feigned confidence.

"Pi…ka, chu pika…" sighed Ash's first Pokemon.

"…I don't really wanna think about that right now," Ash explained, "at this point, I'm just doing what my heart tells me…wasn't that your advice?"

But Pikachu's right…Ash grimly thought, what if I can't decide by then?What'll I do? They'll all be in the same place, and eventually the conversation will turn toward their love lives…And even if I do decide…I would break the hearts of two of them…How can I do that?

"Pika…pikachu," Pikachu said reassuringly, when he noticed the distressed look on Ash's face.

"You're right Pikachu, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it," Ash chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Pikachu gently sighed, annoyed by his trainer's procrastination. "Chu, chu pika…"

"I hope I know what I'm doing too…"

After safely landing in front of the Cerulean gym, Ash returned Pidgeot to his pokeball and walked over to the large building before him. However, when he reached the clear, glass doors of the gym, he noticed a small note, hastily written, that was taped to the doors.

It read: 'Gone Fishing! Gym closed for today! Sorry for the inconvenience, Cerulean City Gym.'

Ash sighed heavily, "How am I gonna find Misty now?"

"Pika, Pikachu!" said the electric rodent, who began to walk down an old dirt path.

"Ok, you lead the way," the raven-haired boy said as he started to follow the electric rodent down the path.

The path led into a dark, but familiar forest. Ash recognized it almost immediately as the Viridian Forest. The trees were so thick that very little light could penetrate through to the forest floor, making it difficult to navigate through the gloomy forest. Fortunately for Ash, Pikachu was a native of Viridian Forest and knew the woods very well.

"This forest is pretty dark, Pikachu. Do you even know where you're going?" asked a curious Ash.

"Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu.

"Ok, ok, jeez," apologized Ash.

After a few hours of wandering through the deep, dark forest, Ash began to have doubts about whether Pikachu knew what he was doing. But, just as Ash was about to tell his Pokemon to head back, he heard the faint sound of running water in the direction that they were headed.

"Hey Pikachu, let's get a drink, I'm parched," the raven-haired boy called out to his Pokemon.

"Pika, pi" replied the electric-type, who also was quite thirsty.

Ash and Pikachu squinted their eyes as they walked out of the dimly lit forest and into the bright sunshine of the riverbank. The calm waters nearby were shaded a beautiful azure blue, sparkling like a jewel in the brilliant sunshine. At the sight of the large river, the yellow rodent cooed in anticipation and bounded toward the grassy bank below. The champion simply smiled as he walked at a more casual pace toward the gleaming waters.

"How does it taste?" asked the trainer as he watched his partner take a long drink from the blue water.

"Chaaa," cooed the electric rodent.

"Glad to hear," Ash chuckled as he filled up an empty canteen from his pack, and after taking a long drink from the container, the champion smiled, "Ahh, this reminds me of our traveling days."

"Pika, Pika," the electric-type agreed.

"Ugh, let's take a break. We've been searching for hours," Ash yawned as he laid down on the soft, green grass near the placid water.

"Pikachu," the yellow rodent replied, as he curled up in a comfortable position and fell asleep.

As he lay on his back, the champion watched the fluffy, white clouds pass by in the blue sky above. This was the kind of peace that he longed for, alone with his faithful Pokemon and the peaceful sounds of the swaying trees and the calm river. It felt similar to the emerald pond in Goldenrod Park, though, in some odd way, completely different.

Faintly, in the forest behind him, Ash heard the light sound of leaves crackling under the footstep of an approaching person. As the footsteps advanced closer, the champion looked up to see who had dared to intrude upon his serene retreat.

Ash could only chuckle as none other than the Cerulean City gym leader strode out of the forest and into the clearing.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" Misty asked with surprised look.

"Heh, isn't that what you asked me last time?" the champion replied, still lying on the grass.

"I mean, um… why are you here, at my favorite fishing spot?" the redhead asked as she sat down next to Ash.

"Well, I kinda came here by accident, just wandering through the woods," Ash replied, as he gazed at a particularly interesting cloud.

"Why were you wandering through Viridian Forest?" Misty asked.

"You're just full of questions today, aren't you?" the trainer from Pallet chuckled as he put his hands behind his head. "If you have to know, I was looking for you."

Misty blushed lightly as she gazed deeply at the handsome boy next to her. "So, now that you've found me, what do you want?"

"Well you came here to fish, right? So let's fish," Ash said as he flashed a grin.

"But you don't have a rod…" the redhead pointed out.

Ash nervously blinked and frantically searched through his pack for a special item.

"How about this?" the champion said as he pulled out a small lure. It was shaped like a tiny girl with bright orange hair, in a side ponytail, a yellow tank top with red overalls, and a pair of short blue jeans.

"Wow, Ash, you kept that all these years?" Misty inquired as she examined the lure that she had given him long ago.

"Of course, it's a memento of our friendship," the raven-haired boy replied as he handed the lure to Misty. "We'll use your pole and my lure."

The redhead simply nodded and fastened the lure onto her red fishing pole. Then she slowly drew her arms back and cast the line out into the slow-moving river. Misty then set the pole on a small stand and reclined into a comfortable position.

"Now we wait," stated the Cerulean City gym leader.

Ash, who had been busy gazing at the various clouds above, pointed at a fairly large specimen. "Hey Misty, what does that look like to you?"

Following Ash's extended finger, the gym leader looked up toward the sky and fixed her gaze on the cloud in question. "Hmm… it…kinda looks like a…Staryu," replied the redhead.

"Yeah, and that one, to the left, don't you think that it sorta looks like a Skitty?" Ash said as he pointed at another cloud.

Misty adjusted her view, and, sure enough, a feline-shaped cloud was slowly passing overhead.

They lay there for almost two hours, watching the clouds pass by and enjoying each other's company, not minding that they still hadn't gotten a single bite. But as the sun began to lower, tinting the sky a rusty orange, Misty slowly sat up and said, "We should get going. It's getting late, and the Viridian Forest can be dangerous at night."

"All right… let's go Pikachu," Ash reluctantly said as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Piiiikaaa," yawned the yellow rodent as he shook himself awake.

After gathering their supplies, the trio walked back towards Cerulean City as the forest steadily became darker. Pikachu again lead the way, though Misty showed him a shortcut to Cerulean City that would shorten their travel time considerably.

Though the redhead was walking close to Ash, she couldn't muster up the courage to take his hand. She sighed to herself, afraid of what the raven-haired boy would think of her if she tried to make another move. Misty remembered the confused look on Ash's face after she had kissed him. It was a very surprised, almost astonished, look, as if he had never in 100 years imagined that that would happen. The gym leader bit her lip, regretting that she had made such a foolish decision the last time that the two of them had met. Misty resolved to give Ash some space this time, and to just have fun tonight.

As the two young adults walked side by side, the brisk nighttime breeze picked up, stirring the branches above them with a gentle rustling. Misty, who was sparsely dressed, shivered silently as the chilly gusts brushed against her skin. When Ash saw this, he felt a pang of pity for the quivering girl and offered her his sweater, which he slowly pulled over his head. Though reluctant at first, the gym leader couldn't stand the cool breeze any longer and slipped the rather large sweater over her thin frame.

As the soft fabric enveloped her in warmth, Misty quietly thanked the raven-haired trainer, who received the appreciation with an affectionate smile. The redhead quickly turned away and hid her growing blush. She didn't want to do anything that might unhinge the situation, at least not yet. But it was hard to suppress her feelings, especially in the romantic moonlight…

Stumbling out of the dense undergrowth of the forest, the trio finally arrived at the outskirts of Cerulean City. The dazzling lights flashed shades of green, violet, blue, and red across the dark sky and invited visitors into the town, like moths to a flame. Ash checked his watch, which read, "9:46 p.m."

"Good," Ash said aloud, "the night is still young."

"Maybe for you," Misty replied as she hung her head, "I have to wake up early tomorrow. There's an exhibition match all the way in Pewter City."

"That sounds like fun!" Ash said in an energetic voice, "Can I come?"

"S-sure," Misty said, taken aback by Ash's blunt proposition, "But you won't be able to compete. Gym leaders only."

"Oh well, I wanna see how much you've improved," the champion said with a wink, "Let's hurry and get to the gym so we can get a good night's sleep. It's a long way to Pewter!"

"Okay," the gym leader quietly replied.I wonder why he wants to come so badly…

As Ash, Misty, and Pikachu entered the Cerulean Gym, Daisy walked over to see who had come.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" Daisy asked in a tired voice.

"I'm gonna go with Misty tomorrow to the exhibition match in Pewter City," the champion replied with a smile.

"Oh really?" Daisy replied as she gave Misty an inquisitive look. "I guess you can sleep on the couch…unless you would prefer otherwise?"

Ash, turning bright red when he heard this, awkwardly replied, "I-I'll be f-fine on the c-couch."

Daisy, giggling at the raven-haired boy's awkwardness, simply walked off to her bedroom, which was on the second floor.

Misty, who hadn't said a thing during the whole exchange, uncomfortably looked over at Ash and said in a strained voice, "Um…I'll wake you at six…"

With that, she ran off to her room and quickly shut the door behind her.

Ash, who was left standing at the doorway, merely blinked and strolled over to the couch in the living room. Setting his backpack by the decrepit couch, he laid down and looked up at the ceiling fan twirling above him. As Pikachu jumped onto his stomach, the champion looked at his long-time companion and pet his soft, yellow fur.

"We're gonna have a long day tomorrow," Ash said as he stroked the electric-rodent, "And we're gonna have a long talk with Brock."


End file.
